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Middle East Fiction

Last post 07/10/08 at 22:00 by rachel_g41, 8 replies
Post started by Mateusz on 14/09/08 at 23:16

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  • Mateusz avatar
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    Posted by: Mateusz 14/09/2008 at 23:16
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    My bookcase is full of European fiction and I would like to spread my horizons a bit further. Does anyone have any recommendations? Are there any good Middle East or African authors you would recommend? 
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    Posted by: pineapple sage 15/09/2008 at 04:29
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    Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi was interesting. it was about the change to fundamentalism and people's ways of coping as things gradually got worse. (Think analogy of frog in hot water.)

    Kite Runner has been mentioned alot as well but i haven't read it.
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    Posted by: Mateusz 15/09/2008 at 07:39
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    Thanks for that, I will have to check it out. Iran sounds like such an interesting country. I can't afford to fly there, but at least I can read about it and imagine what it is like!

    I have also ordered myself the Cairo Trilogy by Mahfouz Naguib, which people say is very readable. 
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    Posted by: Leylaleyla 18/09/2008 at 17:49
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    The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif is really good. She was born in Cairo and it was shortlisted for the Booker in 1999. I enjoyed it immensely.
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    Posted by: greyengine 26/09/2008 at 18:52
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    'A thousand splendid suns' by Khaled Hosseini (author of 'the Kite Runner') was very moving.  It also gave a real insight into the lives of women in Afghanistan throught the changing regimes there, but mostly it was just a really well told story.
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    Posted by: schmooo 27/09/2008 at 14:09
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    greyengine:
    'A thousand splendid suns' by Khaled Hosseini (author of 'the Kite Runner') was very moving.

    This was an amazing book, very harrowing in parts but a wonderful story nonetheless. 

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    Posted by: InControliThink 27/09/2008 at 14:12
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    I would recommend the Kite Runner definately. And not by a Middle Eastern author but would recommend Daughter of Arabia and Princess both by Jean Sassoon. very good books about the life of a Saudi princess.
  • rachel_g41 avatar
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    Posted by: rachel_g41 07/10/2008 at 21:58
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    Try Nawal El-Saadawi. Searching was my favourite, even if you guess what's happened it's a good read. Memories of a woman doctorI also liked, Love in the Kingdon of Oil I remember like a suffocating dream. Woman at point zerois another eye-opener.

  • rachel_g41 avatar
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    Posted by: rachel_g41 07/10/2008 at 22:00
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     What's the problem with spaces? it's not happening to me anywhere else - is it this site?

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