Ahmed Khalifa
As for the best book I read in 2008,
the answer is simple...
Maryam's Maze (متاهة مريم) By Mansoura Ez
El Din:
Mansoura Ez El Din's tribute to
Gothic literature is nothing less than a marvel. With Egypt's bestseller lists
cluttered with repetitive, passive aggressive fiction and non-fiction about
Buildings, taxis and problems with the Middle East, here is a book that
attempts to do something different and pulls it off in spades.
A harrowing and
highly compelling psychological study of a woman's descent into madness,
Maryam's Maze uses the Gothic archetypes and imagery as a launching pad and
runs with them through a series of vignettes, images and characters that are
for the most part unforgettable. Ez El Din's stylish prose, tireless
imagination, and penchant for darkly surreal images, make it one of the most
surprising and original books to come out of Egypt in a long time. A must read.
(Also available in an English-translated edition).
Via: Arabic-lit.blogspot
23 December 2008
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