
Sarab
Raja Alem(Author)
Hoopoe (Publisher)
Published on 30. August 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-977-416-876-5 (ISBN)
Description
November 1979. Violence has broken out in the holiest site of Islam after a charismatic rebel and his devoted followers have announced the coming of the Mahdi and seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Among the insurgents is a young woman, Sarab, disguised as a man. As the horror and chaos of the siege reach their peak, she escapes and encounters a French officer from the opposing side. They form an unexpected bond, as hostility turns to attraction, but the violence of both of their pasts will return to haunt them. Award-winning writer Raja Alem's extraordinary narrative stretches from Saudi Arabia's Najd desert to the heart of Paris. In her typical bold and captivating style, this most unusual of love stories unpicks faith and fanaticism, alienation and redemption, and ultimately what it means to be human.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cairo
Egypt
Publishing group
The American University in Cairo Press
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 207 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
307 gr
ISBN-13
978-977-416-876-5 (9789774168765)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Persons
Raja Alem was born in Mecca and now lives in Paris. Her works include ten novels, two plays, biography, short stories, essays, literary journalism, writing for children, and collaborations with artists and photographers. She has received many awards in the Arab world and in Europe, including one from UNESCO for creative achievement in 2005, and another from the Lebanese Literary Club in Paris in 2008. In 2011, her novel The Dove's Necklace was awarded the prestigious International Prize for Arabic Fiction.