Can’t decide what to read this summer?

He has some great suggestions for you! Here are eight great Hoopoe novels to travel to….

 

The Lady of Zamalek
By Ashraf El-Ashmawi, translated by Peter Daniel

Spanning twentieth-century Egyptian history and opening with the true story of a prominent Cairo businessman’s murder, this rags-to-riches story wondrously combines real-life events with fiction

“The Lady of Zamalek hits all the sweet spots that a Western reader of historical fiction craves.”—Washington Independent Review of Books

 

Gold Dust
By Ibrahim al-Koni, translated by Elliott Colla

A classic story of the brotherhood between man and beast, the thread of companionship that is all the difference between life and death in the desert

“A magnificent novelist”—Marilyn Booth, University of Oxford

 

A Recipe for Daphne
By Nektaria Anastasiadou

An American-born traveler to one of Istanbul’s oldest communities receives an unexpected welcome in this heartwarming and romantic debut

“[A] novel to be thoroughly savored, from its enticing culinary elements to its charming love stories. . . A Recipe for Daphne proves deeply satisfying.”— Vanessa Larson, The Washington Post

 

The Critical Case of a Man Called K
By Aziz Mohammed, translated by Humphrey Davies

A sensitive and at times darkly humorous story of a young man’s experience of illness, his contemplation of death, and his determination to maintain his independence through it all

“Compelling . . . well-timed, humorous observations . . . [the narrator’s] story progresses toward deeper understanding of the human condition.”―Foreword Review

 

I Do Not Sleep
By Ihsan Abdel Kouddous, translated by Jonathan Smolin

A story of betrayal, desire, and family drama, written by a giant of Egyptian popular fiction who shocked readers in the 1950s when this Lolita-esque novel first appeared and whose work has never before been available in English

‘[One] of the best new works from around the world”—The Irish Times

 

My First and Only Love
By Sahar Khalifeh, translated by Aida Bamia

A deeply poetic account of love and resistance through a young girl’s eyes by acclaimed writer, Sahar Khalifeh, called “the Virginia Woolf of Palestinian literature”

“Khalifeh effectively paints a crazy world where individuals seek to lead normal lives under nightmarish conditions . . . .Highly recommended.”―Library Journal

 

The Book Smuggler
By Omaima Al-Khamis, translated by Sarah Enany

A magical story of a Crusade-era bookseller who embarks on a journey through the Islamic world’s great medieval cities, winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature

“Extraordinary. . . filled with vivid descriptions, incredibly detailed history and a vibrant lightness.”—Arab News

 

The Men Who Swallowed the Sun
By Hamdi Abu Golayyel, translated by Humphrey Davies

Abu Golayyel’s gritty tale of two men’s ill-conceived quest for a better life via the deserts of the Middle East and the cities of Europe is pure storytelling

“Stealing, drug-dealing, and the epic of Egyptian migration . . . A funny, furious, breathless tale.” —BULAQ

 

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Posted on 25/07/2022 in Dystopian, FICTION Action & Adventure, FICTION Crime, FICTION General, FICTION Literary, FICTION Political, FICTION Psychological

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