The Grub Hunter
Published on 1. December 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
192 pages
978-1-0359-0065-7 (ISBN)
Description
Shortlisted for the 2011 International Prize for Arab Fiction. The Grub Hunter tells the story of a secret service agent who, after years of imprisoning dangerous novelists, decides to join them...
When Farfar receives a life-changing injury, he is forced to leave his secret service days behind him.
With no family to fill the void, he struggles to find meaning in his new, solitary life. That is until he is struck by an unusual idea: to write a novel. Despite putting his fair share of novelists behind bars, the idea sticks.
After visiting a coffeehouse popular among writers, his old colleagues begin to grow suspicious... In a country tightly controlled by the police, the world of literature is a dangerous path into treason.
Wonderfully curious and full of wit, The Grub Hunter is a sharply original and unforgettable novel.
'By turns funny and moving, [The Grub Hunter] captures the absurdity of modern life under the intrusive eye of a repressive regime.' Guardian
'A giant among Arabic fiction writers.' Daily News Egypt
When Farfar receives a life-changing injury, he is forced to leave his secret service days behind him.
With no family to fill the void, he struggles to find meaning in his new, solitary life. That is until he is struck by an unusual idea: to write a novel. Despite putting his fair share of novelists behind bars, the idea sticks.
After visiting a coffeehouse popular among writers, his old colleagues begin to grow suspicious... In a country tightly controlled by the police, the world of literature is a dangerous path into treason.
Wonderfully curious and full of wit, The Grub Hunter is a sharply original and unforgettable novel.
'By turns funny and moving, [The Grub Hunter] captures the absurdity of modern life under the intrusive eye of a repressive regime.' Guardian
'A giant among Arabic fiction writers.' Daily News Egypt
Reviews / Votes
By turns funny and moving, [The Grub Hunter] captures the absurdity of modern life under the intrusive eye of a repressive regime. * Guardian * [Elsir is] a giant among Arabic fiction writers. * Daily News Egypt *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
220 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0359-0065-7 (9781035900657)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Amir Tag Elsir
The Grub Hunter
E-Book
12/2023
1st Edition
Head of Zeus -- an AdAstra Book
€16.49
Available for download
Person
Amir Tag Elsir, also written as Amir Taj al-Sir, is a poet, novelist, and medical doctor born in 1960 in northern Sudan.
He studied medicine at Tanta University in Egypt and at the British Royal College of Medicine. Since then, he has published over 20 books, consisting of novels, biographies and poetry collections. His novel The Grub Hunter (2010) was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2011 while his 2013 novel, 366 was among the winners of the 2015 Katara Prize for the Arabic Novel.
Elsir currently works as a medical doctor in Doha, Qatar.
Translated from the Arabic by William M. Hutchins.
William M. Hutchins was born in 1944 in Kentucky. Majoring in art history at Yale University, he graduated in 1964. His best-known work is his translation of the Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz. He is currently a professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Appalachian State University in North Carolina.
He studied medicine at Tanta University in Egypt and at the British Royal College of Medicine. Since then, he has published over 20 books, consisting of novels, biographies and poetry collections. His novel The Grub Hunter (2010) was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2011 while his 2013 novel, 366 was among the winners of the 2015 Katara Prize for the Arabic Novel.
Elsir currently works as a medical doctor in Doha, Qatar.
Translated from the Arabic by William M. Hutchins.
William M. Hutchins was born in 1944 in Kentucky. Majoring in art history at Yale University, he graduated in 1964. His best-known work is his translation of the Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz. He is currently a professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Appalachian State University in North Carolina.