Middle East/North African Lit discussion

a book, fiction or non-fiction, by an author from The Maghreb ( North Africa) - ( Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya,Mauritania


#Please share your recommendations in here.

Our Riches
Recommended by Kenza ,message 20
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The Other Americans - Morocco

Recommended by multiple members

I have also read Our Riches and have enjoyed it. I have a lot of recommandations to make here , but need to check what has been translated in english. Will come back :)

Our Riches is coming to English in April. I'm looking forward to it!

These are the ones I know from the Maghreb coming to English this year: https://arablit.org/2020/01/01/a-list...

A Month in Siena Sublime and essential as all Hisham Matar's work. I read The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between 3 years ago and its presence in my mind remains intact. His words are a refuge to hold on to.

Majdouline wrote: "I have also read Our Riches and have enjoyed it. I have a lot of recommandations to make here , but need to check what has been translated in english. Will come back :)"

Me too! waiting for the publication in English.

Almost all the new releases of the list are marked in my calendar, I would miss so many wonderful books without you Marcia!

I'll be interested in hearing what you think of Our Riches when it comes out. I thought it was the weakest of her books, but definitely one written for a Western audience so maybe it had a more straightforward and broader appeal. It's still a lovely read but unfortunately plays into a lot of the tropes you find in books from Algerian authors published in France, unlike her two previous books (although Des ballerines de papicha was published in France under a different title so I don't know how much editing they also did on the text. The Algerian edition is fantastic).

Hello Cam, I have read most of Kaouther 's book ( exept for the last one published in 2019). For Our riches I dont think it s her weakest book ( as I have not enjiyed des pierred dans ma poche) but as you said it is definately aimed at a broader audience. My favorite book of hers is L envers des autres, I gave it a 5 star, this book trigger a lot of emotions . If you have not read, go fo it :)

I am reading The Other Americans by Laila Lalami. It is very different from The Moor's Account, but also very good!

If people read Arabic and/or French I'd really recommend بان الصبح by عبد الحميد بن هدوقة (translated as La Mise à nu) about 1970s Algeria, and عرس بغل by الطاهر وطار (translated as Noces de mulet).

I’m confused about which books contain which parts of the story The Confines of the Shadow.
There is The Colonial Conquest, The Confines of the Shadow, Vol I
Then
The Confines of the Shadow

Then The Fourth Shore, Vol II

I’ve been reading reviews and would like to actually read the books.

Thanks, Nan

Nan wrote: "I’m confused about which books contain which parts of the story The Confines of the Shadow.
There is The Colonial Conquest, The Confines of the Shadow, Vol I
Then
The Confines of the Shadow

Then ..."

Sorry, I tried to figure it out but failed!

Hi Niledaughter, do you mean couldn’t figure out my question or which book is which?
Thanks

Nan wrote: "Hi Niledaughter, do you mean couldn’t figure out my question or which book is which?
Thanks"
Which book is which. I think it needs someone more familiar with the books. May be Marcia can help.

Thanks Niledaughter
I’d like to here what Marcia thinks.
I think The Fourth Shore will be part of a discussion on the Bulaq podcast. This is why I became interested in which books were which.

It seems that there are often depending on the time of publication different titles for the same book. Sometimes the author uses a different name.

And one last question. I want to be sure that Maps of the Soul, Ahmed Faghi, is a totally different book by a totally different author.

I apologize for asking questions that may seem obvious to someone who is more widely read.
Take Care

Yes, Fagih's "Maps of the Soul" is a different very long series.

We're definitely going to read Spina for a late November/early December recording, so it would be great to have a discussion on here too!

Yes...it's confusing because they've come out from two publishers with two different naming / numbering conventions for the series. Bah on them. I suggest just getting the Arcade volumes: https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/ar...

Thank you sooo much. Arcade it is. A good reason to look forward to late November/early December.

I just finished Tuareg and it was amazing!
The author Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa is Spanish, so I am not sure if I'll count it as part of the challenge for this group.
I will still look for something else for this category but if I don't find anything it will be my selection.

Mohamed Sibari from Larache, Morocco, wrote in Spanish with a lot of work translated to Arabic and French. Excellent satire and description of northern Morocco. Among the books I like Pinchitos y Divorcios, de Larache al cielo, Café Central, Babuchazo. The books are not on amazon but on some other platforms. I had hard copies 15 years ago.

I have just finished The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers by Fouad Laroui. It is a collection of stories that are partly linked as they take place in a certain "Café de lUniverse". I can highly recommend this title as the stories are hillarious but at the same time also quite serious! It was my first read of Fouad Laroui but will definitely not be my last!!!

Thank you for the recommendations!

Thanks for the recommendations :).

Speaking of Spanish authors, I wanted to read The Hand of Fatima for a while. We do not really have a slot in the challenge where it can fit. I remember several years ago, we were reading some books about Al Andalus history as a special theme in the group.

After seeing the report about it and interview with the author on Democracy Now, I purchased a copy of Guantánamo Diary: Restored Edition by the Mauritanian author Mohamedou Ould Slahi who was imprisoned for many years without ever having been accused. His confession was extracted by torture but he was finally freed and wrote this book. I know it will be a tough read, but I think its an important one.

For 2022 I have read For Bread Alone by Mohamed Choukri. I thought it was excellent and would recommend it, but a warning it is quite brutal.
Here is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

In the Country of Others is a historical fiction by Leïla Slimani set in Morocco in the 1940s and 1950s. It is the story of French woman Mathilda who falls in love with the handsome Moroccan soldier Amine during the war and returns to Morocco with him seeking romance and adventure. Here is my review

The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk is the first book from Mauritania to be translated into English. It is about the life of a young Bedouin girl who flees from her tribe carrying their sacred drum with her. Here is my review

Rachel wrote: "The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk is the first book from Mauritania to be translated into English. It is a..."

Upon your recommendation I read this book too! I found it very powerful. Here is my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...