The Emperor's babe : a novel

A coming-of-age tale to make the muses themselves roar with laughter and weep for pity - sassy, razor-sharp and transformative - from the acclaimed author of Mr Loverman “If there is any justice in the world, The Emperor’s Babe will be a huge hit. Fictions like Evaristo’s, overflowing with energy and originality, are as rare as the sauteed peacock brains she has her heroine consume...” - The TimesLondinium, AD 211. Zuleika is a modern girl living in an ancient world. She's a back-alley firecracker, a scruffy Nubian babe with tangled hair and bare feet - and she's just been married off to a fat old Roman. Life as a teenage bride is no joke but Zeeks is a born survivor. She knows this city like the back of her hand: its slave girls and drag queens, its shining villas and rotting slums. She knows how to get by. Until one day she catches the eye of the most powerful man on earth, the Roman Emperor, and her trouble really starts... "Holy Po-Mo, Batman! How about a historical, multicultural, transgender novel - in verse, yet!... There are some stories that just can’t be told straight, and newcomer Evaristo doesn’t bother trying. She lets herself go wild in this account of the fabulous life and celebrated adventures of Zuleika... Truly crazy, lots of fun, and more than slightly perverse: this reads like an episode of Sex and the City written by Ovid." - Kirkus ReviewsSilver-tongued and merry-eyed, this is a story in song and verse, a joyful mash-up of today and yesterday. Kaleidoscoping distant past and vivid present, The Emperor's Babe asks what it means to be a woman and to survive in this thrilling, brutal, breathless world. Title Page About the Author Dedication PROLOGUE Amo Amas Amat I Londinium Tour Guide (Unofficial) The Betrayal The Betrothal Osmosis Till Death Do Us II Metamorphosis Two Hot Chicks Sisterfamilias (Relative Values) Zuleika and Her Girls Another World, Natale Solum (Native Soil) III Primum Deterge Eam (Wipe It First) Capistrum Maritale (The Matrimonial Halter) Modus Vivendi (A Way of Living) Doesn’t Time Fly When You’re Having Fun Ab Asino Lanam (Wool from an Ass) IV Important Matters of State A Quiet Bedtime Voice Cumulonimbus (or, It’s That Time of the Month Again) V Zuleika Goes to the Theatre Obsession Dum Vivimus, Vivamus (While We Live, Let Us Live) or, Babe Talk Missing Pieces: A Perfect Match Venus Winks at Lovers’ Games My Legionarius Post-coital Consciousness VI Post-coital Colloquium The Language of Love (I) The Language of Love (II) Amari Aliquid (Some Touch of Bitterness) VII Zuleika’s Trip to the Amphitheatre Nulli Secundus (Second to None) Abyssus Abyssum (One Depravity Leads to Another) All the Evil of the World Let Loose VIII Thus One May Go to the Stars Verbosa Orgia Dum Spiro, Spero (Where There’s Life, There’s Hope) Post-mortem IX Every Lover is a Soldier (Militat Omnis Amans) X When You Least Expect Vale, Farewell, My Libyan Albatross The Language of Love (III) Animula Vagula (Little Soul Flitting Away) Domum Dulce Domum (Home Sweet Home) Exit Stratagem The Price You Pay, My Beautiful Wife Vade in Pace (Go in Peace) EPILOGUE Vivat Zuleika Acknowledgements Follow Penguin Copyright Page FROM THE BOOKER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER WINNER OF THE NESTA FELLOWSHIP AWARD 2003 'Wildly entertaining, deeply affecting' Ali Smith, author of How to be both and Autumn A coming-of-age tale to make the muses themselves roar with laughter and weep for pity — sassy, razor-sharp and transformative. Londinium, AD 211. Zuleika is a modern girl living in an ancient world. She's a back-alley firecracker, a scruffy Nubian babe with tangled hair and bare feet - and she's just been married off a fat old Roman. Life as a teenage bride is no joke but Zeeks is a born survivor. She knows this city like the back of her hand: its slave girls and drag queens, its shining villas and rotting slums. She knows how to get by. Until one day she catches the eye of the most powerful man on earth, the Roman Emperor, and her trouble really starts . . . Silver-tongued and merry-eyed, this is a story in song and verse, a joyful mash-up of today and yesterday. Kaleidoscoping distant past and vivid present, The Emperor's Babe asks what it means to be a woman and to survive in this thrilling, brutal, breathless world. 'wildly Entertaining, Deeply Affecting' Ali Smith, Author Of How To Be Both And Autumn A Coming-of-age Tale To Make The Muses Themselves Roar With Laughter And Weep For Pity -- Sassy, Razor-sharp And Transformative -- From The Acclaimed Author Of Mr Loverman Londinium, Ad 211. Zuleika Is A Modern Girl Living In An Ancient World. She's A Back-alley Firecracker, A Scruffy Nubian Babe With Tangled Hair And Bare Feet - And She's Just Been Married Off A Fat Old Roman. Life As A Teenage Bride Is No Joke But Zeeks Is A Born Survivor. She Knows This City Like The Back Of Her Hand: Its Slave Girls And Drag Queens, Its Shining Villas And Rotting Slums. She Knows How To Get By. Until One Day She Catches The Eye Of The Most Powerful Man On Earth, The Roman Emperor, And Her Trouble Really Starts... Silver-tongued And Merry-eyed, This Is A Story In Song And Verse, A Joyful Mash-up Of Today And Yesterday. Kaleidoscoping Distant Past And Vivid Present, The Emperor's Babe Asks What It Means To Be A Woman And To Survive In This Thrilling, Brutal, Breathless World. Dazzling', 'brilliant', 'streetwise', 'sassy', 'audacious': THE EMPEROR'S BABE has been hailed as one of the most original novels of 2001. Meet Zuleika: sassy girl about town, hellraiser, bored ex-child-bride in Londinium, AD 211. In the place (and time) to be ... Through the bustling, hustling city, we follow Zuleika, feisty and precocious daughter of Sudanese immigrants. Married off to a rich, fat, absent Roman, she is stranded in luxurious neglect, until, one day the Emperor himself, comes to town, bringing with him not just love - but danger ... Funky and funny, sexy and moving, this novel in verse is a triumph of imaginative writing - and of sheer lyrical and emotional vitality.