(no subject)

[danohu]

Modern Arab/Arabic fiction -- any recommendations? Ideally not something too downbeat or unrelentingly political, and available in translation.

Comments

[khalinche.livejournal.com]

Nahguib Mahfouz is the very famous default and Hanan al-Sheikh also writes gorgeously.

[oedipamaas49.livejournal.com]

thanks!

authos

[(Anonymous)]

Khaled Hosseini is classic by now.

Amin Maalouf, living in France but born in Lebanon (which is still not Arabia ;)) wrote a great fictional account of Ommar Khayyam's life : Samarkand. I remember adoring it.

Re: authos

[oedipamaas49.livejournal.com]

ooh, yes, I *loved* Samarkand, and to a lesser extent some of his other books. He even has an unusually-fascinating blog. [or had, at least]. I'd somehow just thought of him as French, despite the content of his books.

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

I know some people find her work sappy, but I really enjoy Ahdaf Soueif and find her quite thought-provoking - if nothing else, read 'Eye Of The Sun'.

I also like Nawal El-Sadaawi, but her work is definitely more overtly political, and sometimes downbeat.

[lavendersparkle.livejournal.com]

I found Girls of Riyadh interesting. It's completely fluffy chick lit, but it's Saudi Arabian chick lit, which makes it interesting as a cultural artifact rather than a work of art. I certainly isn't too downbeat or political.