Middle East/North African Lit discussion

Hi there. A couple of years ago I enjoyed "Season of Migration to the North". I loved how it transfered me to this place by the river. The burning sun, the winds that passed through the palm trees. The simple, but difficult life. Are there any other book suggestions out there, where you can really feel the place and culture? Almost like you're sitting with a shisha by the rivershore or in the streets observing daily life. I'm particularly interested in the region of Mahgreb/Northern Sahara. Thank you!

You might like The Wedding of Zein, a collection of short stories also by Tayeb Salih. For that kind of description, you might also like works by Radwa Ashour, for example Siraaj: An Arab Tale.

I haven’t read Season of Migration to the North but other books that really transported me to the places and cultures are:
The Rock of Tanios by Amin Maalouf
takes place in a village in the Lebanese mountains in the 19th century
Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji is a beautiful coming of age story taking place in Iran
The Story of Zahra is actually the real life story of Hanan Al-Shaykhthe author’s mother. Set in early 20th century Lebanon, both in a village and later in Beirut
The woman from Tantoura The Woman from Tantoura: A novel from Palestine by Radwa Ashour based on the true events that happened in Palestine both before and after the creation of Israel

I know there are many more but I can’t remember now!

I don't get to participate here much, but this popped up in my feed and I wanted to take a minute and chime in.

First author that comes to mind from your question: Ibrahim al-Koni. He's a writer from the Touareg tradition out of the southern reaches of Libya/Algeria. I'd recommend starting with "The Bleeding of the Stone." One of my favorite books ever--particularly if you like reading the desert.

Not as Sahara-focused, but two more novellas that evoke the desert in powerful ways come from Palestinian author Ghassan Kanafani: "Men in the Sun" and "All that is Left You."

If you'd rather disappear into a city than a desert, it's hard to do better than Naguib Mahfouz--"Midaq Alley." He can also take deep inside another person's mind "The Thief and the Dogs."

For a more historical urban escapade, I often return to "Zayni Barakat" by Gamal al-Ghitani.

Let us know what you choose and what you discover!

Thank you all! Some of the tips are already in my shelf. Maybe I'll have to let them cut in line.