Middle East/North African Lit discussion

The 'stan
The political modern term ...Greater Middle East


This is a little bit shift from our main focus in the group (The middle east north Africa) yet connected . So we will be paying this region a quick visit .

Please share your recommendations !:)

Any book by Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan)

Well... I read Apples Are from Kazakhstan: The Land That Disappeared. Not by a writer from the country, more of a travel book (but it got me interested).

Two Pakistani authors that I can think of:
Nadeem Aslam
Mohsin Hamid

It seems that Pakistan has a wealth of writers. I didn't realize that Tariq Ali was from Pakistan. I have Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree which is waiting patiently on my book shelf for me to get to it. I found this link for Pakistan literature:
http://defence.pk/threads/a-brief-sur...

There are a few female writers listed here, too.

I found this link for Pakistan literature:
http://defence.pk/threads/a-brief-sur...

thanks for sharing this link!

I enjoyed two books which had intriguing insights:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Thanks, Ming, I'll be keeping my eyes open for those two. Not sure how easy it will be to get the Granta issue but will try.

Here's a book on my to-read list...

River of Fire: Aag Ka Darya

I also have some Tariq Ali books on my to-read list...

Would Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov count? I think the author is from Kyrgyzstan.

Jalilah, What a great find, I will put it on my to-read list.

I would reccomend "the patience stone" by Atiq Rahimi (Afghanistan)

Great recommendations everyone ! :D

I have some on my reading list like The Patience Stone , Jamilia ,and Tariq Ali books . Others are great expansion for me :) .

I'd like to read The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam. The book is set in post-9/11 Afghanistan.

Is non-fiction ok? if so, I'd recommend The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia as a really good historical insight into the region.

I'd also suggest anything written by Sorayya Khan. Her writing is beautiful.

Thanks Marwa :) ...sure Tanya Non fiction is Ok .
Thanks Ming , Noor seems very interesting for me .

Posting some I came across earlier -

Here are a few books from Pakistani authors from the DSC Prize for South Asian literature lists:

Nadeem Aslam: The Blind Man’s Garden
Uzma Aslam Khan: Thinner Than Skin & Trespassing
Bilal Tanweer: The scatter here is too great
A Golden Age & The Good Muslim by Tahmima Anan (really set in Bangladesh, about the civil war between East & West Pakistan where Bangladesh becomes independent)

Others -
The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad
In other rooms, other wonders short stories by Daniyal Mueenuddin
A case of exploding mangoes by Mohammed Hanif
Sadkia's way by Hina Haq
The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra


novels of partition
Ice-Candy man (Cracking India) by Bapsi Sidhwa
Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh

non fiction
Children of Dust by Ali Eteraz
Bed of red flowers by Nelofer Pazira

Thanks :)

Nile daughter wrote: "Thanks Ming , Noor seems very interesting for me ."

and Sorayya Khan has a new book coming out. Her writing is so gorgeous. I can't wait! https://sorayyakhan.wordpress.com/nov...

Ardene wrote: "Posting some I came across earlier -
Others -
The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad...."

I just finished this book. An interesting read, My Review

Ming wrote: "Nile daughter wrote: "Thanks Ming , Noor seems very interesting for me ."

and Sorayya Khan has a new book coming out. Her writing is so gorgeous. I can't wait! https://sorayyakhan..."

Hope you will enjoy it and tell us about it :)


Nice to hear from again Sheila :)

ND, I have been popping in and out and will continue to do so, still reading but posting to the threads less as deep into learning Spanish at the moment

Nile daughter wrote: "Thanks Ming , Noor seems very interesting for me ."

Her new book, City of Spies, is out and available in India.

Here is a recent interview with Khan. http://www.ithacajournal.com/story/en...

Thanks Ming ! I will check it :)

Wow, well isn't this interesting - I would definitely be up for having a read of any literature in English trans. from Uzbekhistan, Kygryzstan, Turkmenistan etc.

From Afghanistan, Khaled Hosseini's all I know - but he is brilliant.

Pakistan's got a wealth of writers - many of whom write some EXCELLENT subversive and/or witty cracks at government and politics.
Fully recommend Mohammed Hanif's 'A Case of Exploding Mangoes' - extremely funny, and great satire about an air-crash incident which is still not fully explained upto this day.

I went to a bookreading by Moni Mohsin reading The Diary of a Social Butterfly https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6..., and it had the audiences in stitches. The diary of a Lahore based wannabe-socialite - haven't read it myself fully though.

Bapsi Sidhwa I've heard of not read. Mohsin Hamid - heard fantastic things about The Reluctant Fundamentalist. I don't know if you'd consider Pakistani-British writers (well, technically, half Pakistani/quarter Indian, half british writer) or Pakistani diaspora, but Hanif Kureishi is your man if you do! Fantastic - savoured many of his novels so far, and I'm convinved no one has written more appropriately of the immigrant experience like he has.

One of the big 'grand dads' in Pakistani literature is Saadat Hassan Manto, a brilliant writer - I'm of Indian origin, and he's also very well acclaimed and feted there too. His Toba Tek Singh is a classic, probably the best and most biting satire written about the horrific Indian-Pakistan partition. You can read it all here: http://www.sacw.net/partition/tobatek...

Random Google search for authors from Uzbekhistan brought up this one? http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Railway-H...
Hamid Ismailov - The Railway
Has been compared to One Hundred Years of Solitude! *raises eyebrows interestingly*

Stumbled across this book by browsing around Goodreads:
check out 'Basti' by Intiaz Husain https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Spans the same time period as Tahmima Aman's 'A Golden Age' - the 1971 indo-pakistan war/bangladesh war of independence (depending on how you see things ;) ). Might be interesting to contrast male writer's perspective with a female writer's...? Hmm.

Niraj wrote: "Stumbled across this book by browsing around Goodreads:
check out 'Basti' by Intiaz Husain https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Spans the sam..."

Thanks for the recommendation :) if you are reading it keep us updated , you can also open a thread for it in here :
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

I have Basti, though i haven't read it yet

Who's reading A Golden Age? I've ordered a copy, but probably won't be able to start for a few weeks.

Jalilah wrote: "Who's reading A Golden Age? I've ordered a copy, but probably won't be able to start for a few weeks."

I opened a thread in here :
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I'm reading, but I'll also be a bit late