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Something Strange, Like Hunger: Short Stories
Malika Moustadraf is a cult feminist icon in contemporary Moroccan literature, celebrated for her uncompromising depiction of life on the margins.
Something Strange, Like Hunger presents Moustadraf’s collected short fiction: haunting, visceral stories by a master of the genre. Here, we tune into Casablanca’s unheard: a sex worker struggling to keep warm on the streets; a housewife flirting with strangers online; a kidney patient, priced-out of treatment, facing the harsh reality of his condition; and a mother scheming to ensure her daughter passes a virginity test.
Something Strange, Like Hunger is a sharp provocation to patriarchal power, and a celebration of the life and genius of one of Morocco’s preeminent writers.
*Translated from Arabic*
Something Strange, Like Hunger presents Moustadraf’s collected short fiction: haunting, visceral stories by a master of the genre. Here, we tune into Casablanca’s unheard: a sex worker struggling to keep warm on the streets; a housewife flirting with strangers online; a kidney patient, priced-out of treatment, facing the harsh reality of his condition; and a mother scheming to ensure her daughter passes a virginity test.
Something Strange, Like Hunger is a sharp provocation to patriarchal power, and a celebration of the life and genius of one of Morocco’s preeminent writers.
*Translated from Arabic*
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 8, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews
May 26, 2022
Blood Fest collects all of Malika Moustadraf’s short fiction. Set in contemporary-ish Morocco these stories explore fraught gender and family dynamics, highlighting the insidious nature of misogyny. Within these short stories, women are forced to marry men they don’t love, they are abused or mistreated by male relatives and struggle to retain freedom and independence in a patriarchal society. Many of these stories share a rather bleak outlook as they paint a depressingly realistic picture of domestic abuse and sexism. The men populating these stories are angry, confused, and guilty. They lash out against each other and the women around them. The results are not pretty and there are many upsetting scenes. We also read of how women themselves became perpetrators of misogyny, as mothers go on to police their daughters’ bodies, shaming them for the way they behave in a way they don’t/wouldn’t with their sons. There are also some lgbtq+ themes but these are only touched slightly and the author mostly interrogates heteronormative relationships. While I appreciated the issues Moustadraf explores within these narratives I found the stories unsatisfying. They have very choppy endings and are too short, lasting a few pages or so. The characters become devices through which the author can address and or exemplify a certain issue, and they often failed to convince me as ‘real’ people. There isn’t time dedicated to developing them and the stories consequently suffer from this lack. Also, I would like more variety in tone, subject, and style as many of these stories ended up blurring into each other. Still, I would not dissuade others from reading it and although it didn't really work for me I found certain aspects of these stories to be thoughtprovoking. Additionally, despite its heavy topics this collection makes for a very quick read.
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January 7, 2026
Blood Feast is a collection of feminist short fiction exploring the experiences of women and queer people in Morocco, living in a deeply traditional, religious, and patriarchal society.
Moustadraf was ahead of her time in chronicling the experiences of sex workers, trans people, and the inner lives of women in a misogynistic society rife with abuse, harassment, and double standards. The stories are blunt and provocative, resisting against patriarchy with dry humour despite the difficult subject matter.
There is also an exploration of chronic illness and the failing healthcare system, an experience all too familiar for the author, whose early passing due to kidney disease could have been prevented with proper treatment.
I don't know that saying I enjoyed this collection would be entirely accurate. These stories are bleak, uncomfortable, upsetting, and frustrating as hell. But that is their purpose. Moustadraf was trying to shine a glaring light on the failures of the misogynistic culture she inhabited, and domestic abuse, rape, harassment, fatphobia, and rampant sexism are all pieces of that failure.
I do wish each of these stories had been longer or that Moustadraf had been given enough time to rework her ideas into the second novel she had planned to write. It saddens me that Malika Moustadraf passed so young before she was able to create her magnum opus.
I am grateful to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC provided for review.
Trigger/Content Warnings: misogyny, sexual assault, harassment, fatphobia, transphobia, domestic abuse, chronic/terminal illness, violence, child abuse, suicide, infidelity, eating disorders, mental illness
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Moustadraf was ahead of her time in chronicling the experiences of sex workers, trans people, and the inner lives of women in a misogynistic society rife with abuse, harassment, and double standards. The stories are blunt and provocative, resisting against patriarchy with dry humour despite the difficult subject matter.
There is also an exploration of chronic illness and the failing healthcare system, an experience all too familiar for the author, whose early passing due to kidney disease could have been prevented with proper treatment.
I don't know that saying I enjoyed this collection would be entirely accurate. These stories are bleak, uncomfortable, upsetting, and frustrating as hell. But that is their purpose. Moustadraf was trying to shine a glaring light on the failures of the misogynistic culture she inhabited, and domestic abuse, rape, harassment, fatphobia, and rampant sexism are all pieces of that failure.
I do wish each of these stories had been longer or that Moustadraf had been given enough time to rework her ideas into the second novel she had planned to write. It saddens me that Malika Moustadraf passed so young before she was able to create her magnum opus.
I am grateful to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC provided for review.
Trigger/Content Warnings: misogyny, sexual assault, harassment, fatphobia, transphobia, domestic abuse, chronic/terminal illness, violence, child abuse, suicide, infidelity, eating disorders, mental illness
You can find me on...
Youtube | Instagram | Twitter| TikTok
You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
May 23, 2025
Abrupt, striking, and moving. Arab women’s lit rules!!!
June 15, 2023
Malika Moustadraf was interviewed by Mouna Ouafik, in 2004, soon after her story, Trente-Six was published, she said, “The thing that really bothers me is when other people consider what I’ve written to be autobiography. Why can’t they acknowledge that women [like men] also have a broad imagination?”
As she continued, “I shoot down some of those who wielded their unjust authority over me, tyrannized and oppressed me, with bullets from my pen-and I Inter them between the pages of a book.”
Read these stories because they provide a window into the lives of women, LGBTQ, and others who are marginalized in society, in Casablanca, Morocco. Read these stories because although they are bleak, there is still a glimmer of hope, even humor to all the stories. Finally, read these stories because they are all we have left of the brilliant M.M.’s writing.
I extend a heartfelt thank you to Feminist Press for publishing this excellent work as well as the incredible translator, Alice Guthrie for translating M.M.’s work so that someone like me, an ordinary woman living in the West is able to read and appreciate this excellent writing.
Sadly, this work is all that is left of M.M., as her life was cut too short by kidney disease, that could have been prevented, if there had been better healthcare available to her. I suppose she lives on in her beautiful writing.
As she continued, “I shoot down some of those who wielded their unjust authority over me, tyrannized and oppressed me, with bullets from my pen-and I Inter them between the pages of a book.”
Read these stories because they provide a window into the lives of women, LGBTQ, and others who are marginalized in society, in Casablanca, Morocco. Read these stories because although they are bleak, there is still a glimmer of hope, even humor to all the stories. Finally, read these stories because they are all we have left of the brilliant M.M.’s writing.
I extend a heartfelt thank you to Feminist Press for publishing this excellent work as well as the incredible translator, Alice Guthrie for translating M.M.’s work so that someone like me, an ordinary woman living in the West is able to read and appreciate this excellent writing.
Sadly, this work is all that is left of M.M., as her life was cut too short by kidney disease, that could have been prevented, if there had been better healthcare available to her. I suppose she lives on in her beautiful writing.
September 12, 2025
I think I was more interested in the context about the author's life and the translation notes than the short stories themselves. 3.5 stars
March 5, 2023
As beautiful, sharp and gritty as shattered glass.
A truly intelligent artist, telling stories from the margins of society taken too soon.
These stories, though short will stay with me for years to come...
A truly intelligent artist, telling stories from the margins of society taken too soon.
These stories, though short will stay with me for years to come...
October 9, 2024
Razor sharp stories that all end at just the right moment, the tip of the blade. Moustadraf was an incredible talent — witty & observant & critical. Her loss is an immense one to the literary world.
Do not skip the translator’s note at the end. It was insightful not only into Moustadraf’s life but also her work ethic & Moroccan culture. Gunthrie handled this with care and respect.
Do not skip the translator’s note at the end. It was insightful not only into Moustadraf’s life but also her work ethic & Moroccan culture. Gunthrie handled this with care and respect.
January 15, 2025
4,5
El libro incluye catorce cuentos que fueron publicados en diferentes momentos y medios de Marruecos, aunque la mayoría formaban parte de Trente-Six, su segundo libro publicado en vida.
Los cuentos se centran en la vida cotidiana de la población de Casablanca (Marruecos), en especial en relaciones de pareja, y son abordados desde una perspectiva feminista, exenta de la solemnidad y dramatismo que a veces caracteriza a otras obras con esta perspectiva. (No es que haya situaciones que no lo ameriten).
Por el contrario, los cuentos están impregnados con un toque de humor, combinado con empatía, aún con los personajes que dicen las cosas más detestables, a los que se presenta como personajes penosos, dignos de lástima. Como muestra, la reconstrucción del himen para evitar la deshonra causada por una mujer que no llega virgen al matrimonio (incluyendo la exhibición pública de la mancha de sangre).
A medida que se avanza en la lectura de los cuentos, se encuentra en ellos un estilo más sofisticado, incluyendo lo que denominan memoria fragmentada y flashback en capas (cómo explica en el postfacio su traductora al inglés y analista literaria Alice Guthrie), en la que la inclusión de un hecho pasado se va construyendo intercalado en diferentes momentos de la narración, llegando, en algún cuento en el que se presentan en forma simultánea hechos correspondientes a diferentes momentos y narradores. Aunque pueda dificultar entender lo que está ocurriendo, contribuye a darle una integralidad y una comprensión que no se lograría con una narración más lineal. (Había encontrado algo similar en The Monotonous Chaos of Existence del jordano Hisham Bustani).
La lectura del libro ha sido una muy agradable sorpresa, acompañado con un toque de tristeza, ya que la autora falleció en 2006 a los treinta y seis años por insuficiencia renal. Me parece una enorme pérdida para la literatura y para un feminismo inteligente.
El libro fue publicado integralmente en su traducción al inglés en EEUU en 2022, como Blood Feast, y en castellano en 2024, con traducción del árabe de Youssef Boukriss, por la editorial Selva Canela de Buenos Aires.
El libro incluye catorce cuentos que fueron publicados en diferentes momentos y medios de Marruecos, aunque la mayoría formaban parte de Trente-Six, su segundo libro publicado en vida.
Los cuentos se centran en la vida cotidiana de la población de Casablanca (Marruecos), en especial en relaciones de pareja, y son abordados desde una perspectiva feminista, exenta de la solemnidad y dramatismo que a veces caracteriza a otras obras con esta perspectiva. (No es que haya situaciones que no lo ameriten).
Por el contrario, los cuentos están impregnados con un toque de humor, combinado con empatía, aún con los personajes que dicen las cosas más detestables, a los que se presenta como personajes penosos, dignos de lástima. Como muestra, la reconstrucción del himen para evitar la deshonra causada por una mujer que no llega virgen al matrimonio (incluyendo la exhibición pública de la mancha de sangre).
A medida que se avanza en la lectura de los cuentos, se encuentra en ellos un estilo más sofisticado, incluyendo lo que denominan memoria fragmentada y flashback en capas (cómo explica en el postfacio su traductora al inglés y analista literaria Alice Guthrie), en la que la inclusión de un hecho pasado se va construyendo intercalado en diferentes momentos de la narración, llegando, en algún cuento en el que se presentan en forma simultánea hechos correspondientes a diferentes momentos y narradores. Aunque pueda dificultar entender lo que está ocurriendo, contribuye a darle una integralidad y una comprensión que no se lograría con una narración más lineal. (Había encontrado algo similar en The Monotonous Chaos of Existence del jordano Hisham Bustani).
La lectura del libro ha sido una muy agradable sorpresa, acompañado con un toque de tristeza, ya que la autora falleció en 2006 a los treinta y seis años por insuficiencia renal. Me parece una enorme pérdida para la literatura y para un feminismo inteligente.
El libro fue publicado integralmente en su traducción al inglés en EEUU en 2022, como Blood Feast, y en castellano en 2024, con traducción del árabe de Youssef Boukriss, por la editorial Selva Canela de Buenos Aires.
February 21, 2022
The complete short stories of self-identified "rebel realist" writer and feminist literary activist Malika Moustadraf are finally available in English translation. People attempted again and again to silence her rebellious writing that examines the traumas of the female experience. And they almost succeeded: by the time she died, her works were out of print, and only survived thanks to fans who continued to circulate photo-copies and scans of her work, and the hard work of translator Alice Guthrie.
The pioneering Moroccan author died at just 37 after having been utterly failed by the health care system in her country (in an extremely painful and relatable quote, she wrote: "Death no longer scares me. I consider it a transitional phase from one world to another, perhaps even to a better one. If over there on the other shore there is no hospital, nor any horrible people denying you of your right to treatment, well, that would be enough."). At one point she skipped treatment in order to afford being able to publish her work.
And now we have it. I'm sorry for spending so much time away from the book's content, but it's still a wonder and joy to me to have this work in my hands. Every time a silenced woman author is revived from being out-of-print, every time a woman author is finally translated after much too long, the patriarchy takes another hit.
The stories are excellent. In these stories, we read of women forced to depend on the world of men, and of where it leaves them. Men grate as the women around them dare to claim some level of independence or power. A woman in the midst of divorce struggles to feed her child. A gender nonconforming sex worker struggles with their own liminality. In the title story, superstitions mingle with a health-care system that is exploitative and painful, and a man with troubled kidneys struggles with the truths he's handed. Moustadraf writes of double standards, gendered prejudice, classism, and more in these short, rich tales.
Content warnings for sex shaming, virginity checking, victim blaming, homophobia, domestic abuse and violence, suicide, disordered eating, fatphobia, misogyny.
The pioneering Moroccan author died at just 37 after having been utterly failed by the health care system in her country (in an extremely painful and relatable quote, she wrote: "Death no longer scares me. I consider it a transitional phase from one world to another, perhaps even to a better one. If over there on the other shore there is no hospital, nor any horrible people denying you of your right to treatment, well, that would be enough."). At one point she skipped treatment in order to afford being able to publish her work.
And now we have it. I'm sorry for spending so much time away from the book's content, but it's still a wonder and joy to me to have this work in my hands. Every time a silenced woman author is revived from being out-of-print, every time a woman author is finally translated after much too long, the patriarchy takes another hit.
The stories are excellent. In these stories, we read of women forced to depend on the world of men, and of where it leaves them. Men grate as the women around them dare to claim some level of independence or power. A woman in the midst of divorce struggles to feed her child. A gender nonconforming sex worker struggles with their own liminality. In the title story, superstitions mingle with a health-care system that is exploitative and painful, and a man with troubled kidneys struggles with the truths he's handed. Moustadraf writes of double standards, gendered prejudice, classism, and more in these short, rich tales.
Content warnings for sex shaming, virginity checking, victim blaming, homophobia, domestic abuse and violence, suicide, disordered eating, fatphobia, misogyny.
August 10, 2022
"He wasn't about to kill his sister and spend the rest of his life in prison for the sake of - of what? Morals? Honour? Tradition? He didn't know the colour, shape, or taste of any of those things; he'd only heard about them in the stories his grandmother used to tell him to lull him to sleep. So he would just have to apply the logic of the times to his sister's case. He would cast off his face like a discarded garment and don an expressionless metal mask in its place that revealed no shame, just like all those other people around him did every day."
Malika Moustadraf was sick for more than half her life and she died young at the age of 37. By that time, she had only published a debut novel, a short story collection, and a few articles. This collection (Blood Feast in the US) brings all her stories into English—including four beyond the original collection out of which three came out posthumously. Guthrie sees her signature style as "an unflinching look at the worst traumas of the female experience in a patriarchal society, shot through with wit, wordplay, & razor-sharp political commentary."
The short stories are always kept "rebel realist and feminist", showcasing a great imagination. Moustadraf repeatedly rejected critiques of her work that, like for other women writers, sought to reduce her creativity to mere autobiography and a stale reproduction of lived experience. In these stories, brutality is offset with grace and cruelty is balanced by tenderness. She depicts the lives of women bound by religion as well as culture and their relentless effort to carve a place within or without structures that seem to define them.
(I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
July 15, 2025
Está bueno leer estos relatos como experiencias de mujeres y niñas en Marruecos. Siento que, aunque como cuentos no terminaron de cerrarme del todo, reconozco su importancia. Malika Moustadraf fue una pionera en la literatura feminista marroquí, exponente de la primera oleada de escritoras que rompieron el silencio en un país tremendamente patriarcal (como tantos otros).
Malika expone ese mundo con crudeza y sin concesiones. Sus cuentos van al hueso, sin romantismos, reflejan todo tipo de violencias. Aunque su estilo a veces se siente como bocetos, cada relato impacta con pequeñas escenas cotidianas que te cachetean.
Me quedo pensando en el valor de retratar lo que se calla en una época. En ese sentido, Festín de sangre ilumina realidades invisibilizadas por mucho tiempo y denuncia el machismo normalizado en la vida diaria. Aunque no funcione como cuento clásico, su potencia radica en mostrarnos lo que significa ser mujer, niña, disidente en Marruecos.
Malika expone ese mundo con crudeza y sin concesiones. Sus cuentos van al hueso, sin romantismos, reflejan todo tipo de violencias. Aunque su estilo a veces se siente como bocetos, cada relato impacta con pequeñas escenas cotidianas que te cachetean.
Me quedo pensando en el valor de retratar lo que se calla en una época. En ese sentido, Festín de sangre ilumina realidades invisibilizadas por mucho tiempo y denuncia el machismo normalizado en la vida diaria. Aunque no funcione como cuento clásico, su potencia radica en mostrarnos lo que significa ser mujer, niña, disidente en Marruecos.
April 19, 2023
An important story that highlights on women and I'm thankful that this work didn't out to be extinct.
Its a shame that this story whom had really wrote about the story in hand. Such- is the author's work and God, I love translated literature. Its gems like this that makes me want to explore more of the works from foreign countries.
Looking forward to more of her books. RTC
Personal Rating : 4🌟 overall - but will give a thorough and non spoilery thoughts later/
Its a shame that this story whom had really wrote about the story in hand. Such- is the author's work and God, I love translated literature. Its gems like this that makes me want to explore more of the works from foreign countries.
Looking forward to more of her books. RTC
Personal Rating : 4🌟 overall - but will give a thorough and non spoilery thoughts later/
February 9, 2022
Blood Feast: The Complete Short Stories by Malika Moustadraf
Translated by Alice Guthrie
•
There is something so very familiar in Moustadraf's stories that I could simply be back home somewhere in Algeria and find her characters in the flesh before me. A mother trying to hide her daughter's loss of virginity, a hopeless young man waiting for his opportunity to go to Europe, or a wife desperately trying to hold on to her husband. There is no doubt that these stories are profoundly Moroccan, and at the same time, they transcend its borders to encompass an experience that is embedded within a North African consciousness of sort.
•
Although hailed for its progressive stance, Morocco still has a traditionalist view on the roles of men and women. Men are still considered the provider and seen as such by the law, while women take a secondary role in the family dynamic. In an article titled, "Morocco and Its Women's Rights Struggle: A Failure to Live Up to Its Progressive Image" Katja Žvan Elliott points out that there are still laws that keep this divide between women and men. For instance, “Article 236 designates the father as the primary legal guardian regardless of whether or not he has custody over them”.
•
Therefore, it is not a surprise that Moustadraf writes about women that are stifled by traditions and beliefs that were instrumentalized to keep them down. Almost all her stories revolve around women and put the conservative patriarchal society of Morocco under a microscope, and it is not difficult to read the feminist subtext within each story.
•
Moustadraf writes stories that are short and they almost read like oral tales or a piece of gossip a neighbor would impart you with over some tea and almond cookies. Ghutrie's translation is crisp and transposes seamlessly the sharp and uncompromising style of Moustadraf.
•
Thank you to @feministpress for this eARC.
•
Translated by Alice Guthrie
•
There is something so very familiar in Moustadraf's stories that I could simply be back home somewhere in Algeria and find her characters in the flesh before me. A mother trying to hide her daughter's loss of virginity, a hopeless young man waiting for his opportunity to go to Europe, or a wife desperately trying to hold on to her husband. There is no doubt that these stories are profoundly Moroccan, and at the same time, they transcend its borders to encompass an experience that is embedded within a North African consciousness of sort.
•
Although hailed for its progressive stance, Morocco still has a traditionalist view on the roles of men and women. Men are still considered the provider and seen as such by the law, while women take a secondary role in the family dynamic. In an article titled, "Morocco and Its Women's Rights Struggle: A Failure to Live Up to Its Progressive Image" Katja Žvan Elliott points out that there are still laws that keep this divide between women and men. For instance, “Article 236 designates the father as the primary legal guardian regardless of whether or not he has custody over them”.
•
Therefore, it is not a surprise that Moustadraf writes about women that are stifled by traditions and beliefs that were instrumentalized to keep them down. Almost all her stories revolve around women and put the conservative patriarchal society of Morocco under a microscope, and it is not difficult to read the feminist subtext within each story.
•
Moustadraf writes stories that are short and they almost read like oral tales or a piece of gossip a neighbor would impart you with over some tea and almond cookies. Ghutrie's translation is crisp and transposes seamlessly the sharp and uncompromising style of Moustadraf.
•
Thank you to @feministpress for this eARC.
•
March 17, 2023
Enjoyed the audiobook narrators.
The author’s after was well worth the time. It gives context and additional meaning to the stories and the author, both far ahead of their time.
Intelligent, interesting, and insightful.
I’ll think about several of these for some time.
The author’s after was well worth the time. It gives context and additional meaning to the stories and the author, both far ahead of their time.
Intelligent, interesting, and insightful.
I’ll think about several of these for some time.
January 27, 2022
4 stars
A fantastic collection of 14 short stories by a woman writer from Morocco. They are about contemporary life in Morocco & touch on gender, racism, religion, sexuality, chronic illness, & more. Great writing & character work, these stories have a lot to say.
[What I liked:]
•The writing is excellent. So much is revealed with nuance in a short space, the characters very real, the settings evocative. There is joy & fury & sorrow & triumph & life & death contained within.
•The story “Just Different” is very touching & well written, about an intersex person (possibly trans) who faces violence & abuse in their family & community. I also really enjoyed “A Woman in Love, a Woman Defeated”, about a woman who’s suffered very bad luck in love & marriage but finds her inner strength & comes into her own.
•Don’t skip the translator’s note at the end! It’s really good & tells how these stories almost fell out of circulation & about Moustadraf, the writer.
[What I didn’t like as much:]
•This is not a criticism but mainly a content warning: there is a lot violence in these stories, especially violence against women. It’s not there for shock value nor glorified; in fact a lot of it is verbal or happens off screen. Just be aware going in. I personally had to pace myself.
CW: child abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse, misogyny, suicide, infidelity, eating disorders, mental illness, sexual assault, sexual harassment, chronic/terminal illness
[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]
A fantastic collection of 14 short stories by a woman writer from Morocco. They are about contemporary life in Morocco & touch on gender, racism, religion, sexuality, chronic illness, & more. Great writing & character work, these stories have a lot to say.
[What I liked:]
•The writing is excellent. So much is revealed with nuance in a short space, the characters very real, the settings evocative. There is joy & fury & sorrow & triumph & life & death contained within.
•The story “Just Different” is very touching & well written, about an intersex person (possibly trans) who faces violence & abuse in their family & community. I also really enjoyed “A Woman in Love, a Woman Defeated”, about a woman who’s suffered very bad luck in love & marriage but finds her inner strength & comes into her own.
•Don’t skip the translator’s note at the end! It’s really good & tells how these stories almost fell out of circulation & about Moustadraf, the writer.
[What I didn’t like as much:]
•This is not a criticism but mainly a content warning: there is a lot violence in these stories, especially violence against women. It’s not there for shock value nor glorified; in fact a lot of it is verbal or happens off screen. Just be aware going in. I personally had to pace myself.
CW: child abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse, misogyny, suicide, infidelity, eating disorders, mental illness, sexual assault, sexual harassment, chronic/terminal illness
[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]
August 14, 2022
This slim collection contains all of the stories Moustadraf wrote during her short life which was plagued by pain and illness. A defiant feminist voice in a staunchly patriarchal society, her brittle, unforgiving stories depict the underside of Casablanca and its environs. The extended Translator's Note details the challenges she faced, physically and artistically to bring her work to light, adding an important context and power to her unique voice. One can only wonder what she might have produced if her health and economic situation had not conspired against her.
A longer review can be found here: https://roughghosts.com/2022/08/14/we...
A longer review can be found here: https://roughghosts.com/2022/08/14/we...
December 30, 2022
thoughts coming shortly
December 30, 2022
dit is AMAZING!!!!!
fakka tragisch en droef levensverhaal maar zo heerlijk VIES en rauw en radicaal en echt en clever geschreven WAUW !!!!
fakka tragisch en droef levensverhaal maar zo heerlijk VIES en rauw en radicaal en echt en clever geschreven WAUW !!!!
January 26, 2025
lanangan asu kabeh
February 3, 2025
almost cried in my uni lecture reading the translators note
Read
August 16, 2022A very short collection of very short short-stories. Mixed feelings here but beautifully written.
February 19, 2022
Blood Feast is a collection of 14 short stories written by the late Malika Moustadraf (translated from Arabic by Alice Guthrie), a feminist icon in contemporary Moroccan literature. These stories centered on the realities of Moroccan life, whereby its main religion would be Islam. Moustadraf explored themes such as religious fanaticism, toxic masculinity and patriarchy, violence against women, domestic abuse, gender-based inequality and discrimination, poverty, the lowly status of Moroccan women, the lack of sympathy towards women, and the conservative Moroccan society. In short, most of the stories featured the blame on women by men for almost everything that went wrong: for the men's infertility, illness, and bad luck. The double standards adopted towards men and women in this traditionalist society amplified the deeply rooted patriarchal power and gender inequality that Moroccan women are facing to date.
Moustadraf writing style is quite straightforward. No flowery language or over descriptive prose were used. Such straightforwardness perhaps is more effective in highlighting these impending issues in a more pressing manner. My favorite stories would be "The Ruse" (a mother who plots to cover the fact that her daughter isn't a virgin so that her daughter doesn't miss out on a good marriage), "Blood Feast" (a mother-in-law who blames her son's wife for her son's illness), "Claustrophobia" (a woman's experience in a claustrophobic bus whereby she is molested by a man), "Just Different" (a transgender who recounts his/her past whereby he/she has faced violence and abuse by his/her own father and community), “Raving” (a girl who recounts a blurred memory of her being raped and abused while she is in a hospital with her mother). Malika Moustadraf has highlighted important feminist values through this collection of short stories and it deserves more attention. Once again, these stories prove that the ones who interpret a religion are problematic, not the religion itself. This is a 3.8/5 star rating to me and thanks to Feminist Press for sending this e-ARC copy to me!
Moustadraf writing style is quite straightforward. No flowery language or over descriptive prose were used. Such straightforwardness perhaps is more effective in highlighting these impending issues in a more pressing manner. My favorite stories would be "The Ruse" (a mother who plots to cover the fact that her daughter isn't a virgin so that her daughter doesn't miss out on a good marriage), "Blood Feast" (a mother-in-law who blames her son's wife for her son's illness), "Claustrophobia" (a woman's experience in a claustrophobic bus whereby she is molested by a man), "Just Different" (a transgender who recounts his/her past whereby he/she has faced violence and abuse by his/her own father and community), “Raving” (a girl who recounts a blurred memory of her being raped and abused while she is in a hospital with her mother). Malika Moustadraf has highlighted important feminist values through this collection of short stories and it deserves more attention. Once again, these stories prove that the ones who interpret a religion are problematic, not the religion itself. This is a 3.8/5 star rating to me and thanks to Feminist Press for sending this e-ARC copy to me!
May 18, 2022
Blood Feast by Malika Moustadraf is a collection of short stories by the late Morrocan - now cult feminist icon. I was hooked from the first story; about a woman who wants to take her to the doctor to get a virginity certificate as she is about to wed, only to discover her daughter isn't a virgin but a sex worker, but all is not lost as there's a doctor willing to carry out a 're-virginity' procedure.
In Just Different, our mc, likely a sex worker, describes the violence her father metes out towards her mother for letting our mc's hair grow long and mc not behaving like a boy, as well as violence in public spaces for not being masculine or feminine enough to exist on either side.
In the titular story "Blood Feast", a man experiencing kidney failure comes face to face with all that is wrong with the healthcare system - another patient reels off the hoops and hurdles ahead. The poor are often left to fend for themselves with no money or connections; death and pain is the harsh reality facing many. This was so poignant, given the hindsight of knowing how the author herself battled chronic kidney disease and jumped through all the hurdles, yet eventually died of the illness.
There's also a story with email/internet messaging featured written before this became the norm!
Brutal, direct, and funny, this collection resonated with me. I loved it for its nuance and how suffused it is with tradition, culture and spirit of the people despite all of the contradictions within these. Misogyny, homophobia, and corruption are rife. The end of the collection includes Alice Guthrie's translator's note which is a worthy read. I can't help but think about how so many authors are often ignored while alive, in pain and poor - only to receive recognition after their death. Moustadraf was challenging patriarchal and gender norms while battling chronic illness and direspute within the literary world. Male writers telling her she deserved her illness for writing about the topics she did. Moustadraf had a lot more to say but was robbed of the chance.
In Just Different, our mc, likely a sex worker, describes the violence her father metes out towards her mother for letting our mc's hair grow long and mc not behaving like a boy, as well as violence in public spaces for not being masculine or feminine enough to exist on either side.
In the titular story "Blood Feast", a man experiencing kidney failure comes face to face with all that is wrong with the healthcare system - another patient reels off the hoops and hurdles ahead. The poor are often left to fend for themselves with no money or connections; death and pain is the harsh reality facing many. This was so poignant, given the hindsight of knowing how the author herself battled chronic kidney disease and jumped through all the hurdles, yet eventually died of the illness.
There's also a story with email/internet messaging featured written before this became the norm!
Brutal, direct, and funny, this collection resonated with me. I loved it for its nuance and how suffused it is with tradition, culture and spirit of the people despite all of the contradictions within these. Misogyny, homophobia, and corruption are rife. The end of the collection includes Alice Guthrie's translator's note which is a worthy read. I can't help but think about how so many authors are often ignored while alive, in pain and poor - only to receive recognition after their death. Moustadraf was challenging patriarchal and gender norms while battling chronic illness and direspute within the literary world. Male writers telling her she deserved her illness for writing about the topics she did. Moustadraf had a lot more to say but was robbed of the chance.
August 21, 2024
“Look, I’ll tell you exactly how it works: history is easy. It’s just the same lessons repeating themselves over and over.”
I did like this collection, but it didn't have the impact I wanted it to. There's something to be said for extremely short stories, but I don't know if that style worked for these particular stories. The author is writing about misogyny, feminism, married life, queerness and healthcare in Morocco, among others themes, and each of these are little vignettes that give us a glimpse into the characters' lives. And it just didn't feel like enough. The stories would barely begin before they were over. Like I said, that can work sometimes, but in each story here, it just left me unsatisfied. All the characters were vividly drawn, and some were really memorable, like the queer sex worker, the housewife cybering on MSN, or the family having dinner while horrific news plays in the background. But the stories all sorta blended into one another, and I don't know if I'll remember any of them individually in a week.
I did love that there was a lengthy translator's note at the end, telling us more about Moustadraf, her life, her writing, and her struggles with her illness. It really is sad that she didn't live to complete anything longer, because a lot of the ideas in here were great, and must have been radical at the time of writing in Morocco. There was also an interesting glossary that offered some insight into cultural nuances and some of the Moroccan words and phrases that were used. So that was great. I can't comment much on the translation. It did seem very dry, a little stilted, but maybe that was just Moustadraf's style.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Amin El Gamal and Lameece Issaq and really liked it. Again, with stories this short, it's hard to make an impression, but I did enjoy it. I'm glad I tried this out, even if it wasn't quite a win.
April 4, 2022
A collection of short stories by Malika Moustadraf, a feminist icon in contemporary Moroccan literature.
This collection contains scandalous, visceral and grotesque stories with Casablanca’s oppressed populations - mainly the poor, transgender people and women.
Written in haunting yet magical prose, the stories expose the patriarchal and classist society of modern Morocco through the lenses of various characters: a sex worker, a kidney transplant patient, a housewife, a soon-to-be bride…
In less than a 100 pages, I was blown away by Moustadraf’s writing. The translator’s note also provides some extra perspective about the stories. I’m grateful to Lighthouse Book Store in Edinburgh or introducing me to this radical author.
This collection contains scandalous, visceral and grotesque stories with Casablanca’s oppressed populations - mainly the poor, transgender people and women.
Written in haunting yet magical prose, the stories expose the patriarchal and classist society of modern Morocco through the lenses of various characters: a sex worker, a kidney transplant patient, a housewife, a soon-to-be bride…
In less than a 100 pages, I was blown away by Moustadraf’s writing. The translator’s note also provides some extra perspective about the stories. I’m grateful to Lighthouse Book Store in Edinburgh or introducing me to this radical author.
May 23, 2022
Moustadraf has a very distinct writing style and every story was fantastic.
April 1, 2022
I loved this complete collection of Malika Moustadraf's stories. They were beautifully written, full of emotion, and addressed so many feminist issues. She died before she was able to share more of her beautiful writing with the world, and it broke my heart to learn about how she was scammed when she tried to get her works published. Due to that betrayal she skipped buying certain medications that she needed to take for her debilitating illness in order to pay for self-publication which ultimately led to her losing her ability to walk sooner when her health became worse. How much amazing work is kept from the world because of lack of resources and money, not to mention discrimination based on race/gender/immigration status/sexual orientation/etc?
I loved these stories of different people in a town in Morocco navigating poverty, domestic abuse, unfaithful partners, single parenthood, sex workers trying to survive, inner turmoil over gender identity and sexual orientation, cultural traditions, and so much more. Malika Moustadraf had a beautiful gift for writing, and I'm so glad that all of her work was re-published this year in this amazing collection.
I loved these stories of different people in a town in Morocco navigating poverty, domestic abuse, unfaithful partners, single parenthood, sex workers trying to survive, inner turmoil over gender identity and sexual orientation, cultural traditions, and so much more. Malika Moustadraf had a beautiful gift for writing, and I'm so glad that all of her work was re-published this year in this amazing collection.
May 23, 2025
Moustadtaf writes with fury, urgency, rage in examining patriarchy and misogyny within Moroccan culture in Casablanca. Her short stories are compelling, sensory and unusual - laced with wit and sharp observations. I love reading translated work as it challenges me to go beyond the western framework of reading, I appreciated the notes at the end explaining phrases and their meanings. Moustadtaf mentioned that she feared that her work as a writer would continue to be marginalised, so I feel grateful that her work has finally been translated after her death as it hopefully will revive her work to a larger audience. She touches on many themes, gender queerness, abuse, marriage, women’s bodies, desire. The stories are rich, uncomfortable, fierce, holding so much in very few pages - I only wish she had explored more of the characters and developed the stories so I would have more to read. It is important to hold in mind that her writing received a lot of backlash rooted in misogyny that affected her access to lifesaving treatment, her writing was ahead of its time and in many ways a brave act of choosing to become visible.
June 19, 2025
(3.5) SHEESH so much violence against women! and that’s very clearly the point!
i read this whole collection in a day and enjoyed it! the imagery of blood was powerful throughout as we watch men abuse, hate, envy, and lust after women in their communities. i felt a strong sense of otherness and shame in the stories centering womens’ perspectives. hard to read, but certainly got the point across! while i was moved by a lot of these stories, they were all too short for me to really sink into. most were under 10 pages. i’ll check out her novel if it ever gets translated
i read this whole collection in a day and enjoyed it! the imagery of blood was powerful throughout as we watch men abuse, hate, envy, and lust after women in their communities. i felt a strong sense of otherness and shame in the stories centering womens’ perspectives. hard to read, but certainly got the point across! while i was moved by a lot of these stories, they were all too short for me to really sink into. most were under 10 pages. i’ll check out her novel if it ever gets translated
May 7, 2022
my short story collection of the year, i don't see how anything can beat 'blood feast.' moustadraf drops the reader in and out of bleak, often hellish, situations, painting us on her characters' shadows. the use of gender and class is ever-whirring, where morocco (or its patriarchal structure?) acts as not just a common thread, but character itself. felt a bit like james joyce and dublin in that regard. raw is almost cliche by this point, but there's no better way to describe how exposed and volatile the writing feels. then come the translator's notes to give an even better context, and wow. i had to read in small doses because of how intense things felt, yet i wanted so badly to read everything at once, now that's writing.
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