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A profound and gorgeously wrought short memoir by acclaimed Nigerian-born author and poet�Chris Abani that explores his personal history and complex sense of identity through a�meditation on the face.In The Face: Cartography of the Void, acclaimed poet, novelist, and screenwriter Chris Abani�has given us a brief memoir that is, in the best tradition of the genre, also an exploration of the�very nature of identity. Abani meditates on his own face, beginning with his early childhood that�was immersed in the Igbo culture of West Africa. The Face is a lush work of art that teems with�original and profound insights into the role of race, culture, and language in fashioning our�sense of self. Abani�s writing is poetic, filled with stories, jokes, and reflections that draw readers�into his fold; he invites them to explore their own �faces� and the experiences that have shaped�them. As Abani so lovingly puts it, this extended essay contemplates �all the people who have touched�my face, slapped it, punched it, kissed it, washed it, shaved it. All of that human contact must�leave some trace, some of the need and anger that motivated that touch. This face is softened�by it all. Made supple by all the wonder it has beheld, all the kindness, all the generosity of life.�The Face is a gift to be read, re-read, shared, and treasured, from an author at the height of his�artistic powers. Abani directs his gaze both inward and out toward the world around him,�creating a self-portrait in which readers will also see their own faces reflected.