Middle East/North African Lit discussion

Please share your thoughts about Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi in here .

Jokha Alharthi is an Omani writer and academic, her novel "Celestial Bodies" is the first Arabic novel to win the international Booker prize
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/21/bo...

I am very much looking forward to re-reading this excellent novel - it was one of my few five-star reads of last year!
There are some short stories by Jokha Alharthi available on her website:
http://jokha.com/short-stories/

I have now read 100 pages. As a Norwegian living in India and not too familiar with Oman I would like some views on how realistic the plot is. Strong women is common here? So far I find the book interesting, but not totally unique. Please guide me!

Bredo wrote: "I have now read 100 pages. As a Norwegian living in India and not too familiar with Oman I would like some views on how realistic the plot is. Strong women is common here? So far I find the book in..."

I think the uniqueness of the plot lies in its ability to depict Oman transitioning to a modern society and the impact of this transition on gendered lives in different socio-economic classes.

We watch the gradual erosion of a rigid patriarchal structure where male infidelities, spousal abuse, and child abuse are rampant, and where women are treated as possessions, and where young girls are kidnapped and forced into marriage. In the space of a few short generations, the society transitions. The slaves have been freed; political factions have reached an uneasy truce; women now have careers, make their own voting decisions in elections, choose their own spouses, and divorce them for their infidelities.

From my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Bredo wrote: "Strong women is common here?..."

The short answer to your question is women have always been strong. They have had to be to survive.

The more complex response to your question: I think it depends on the time frame and on the age of the woman.

In the rigidly patriarchal structure of the past, young girls were treated as commodities to be parceled off in marriage to the highest bidder deemed appropriate by the male head of the family. But even within the patriarchal structure, as the woman aged, she increased in stature and influence if she gave birth to sons.

Older women wielded a lot of power in the family because they could exert influence on their sons. In Islam, the son is financially responsible for the maintenance of his mother and unmarried sisters if his father is no longer alive. That is why they preferred sons over daughters because they could rely on them for economic support as they aged. Girls, on the other hand, were perceived as a financial drain on the family.

But as Jokha Alharthi showed in her novel, the situation changed when women were able to pursue their education and careers, increasing their financial independence and decreasing their financial dependence on the male. And with an increase in a woman's financial independence came her demand for greater equality and unwillingness to tolerate the abuse and restrictions of the past. Economic independence increased a woman's strength both within the family and society as a whole.

I hope I have clarified things and not muddied them for you.

Thanks Tamara. I have now finished the book and the picture is a bit clearer. I just now try to figure out why it was not chronological written. Guess it is a purpose behind that.

Bredo wrote: "Thanks Tamara. I have now finished the book and the picture is a bit clearer. I just now try to figure out why it was not chronological written. Guess it is a purpose behind that."

You're welcome. Glad I could help.

As explained the historian Bettany Hughes, who headed the Booker judging panel, the novel “subtly resists clichés of race, slavery and gender.”

I think the most interesting thing about this novel is reminding the reader how recent the abolition of slavery was in Oman. How complex the relationships between slaves and slave owners were in the 20th century.

Additionally, the writer sheds a light on how modernity affected this small gulf country. the characters: London and her brothers show that globalisation has not really left a place untouched.

The writer's narration style was impressive. she managed to create a unique style that transformed the book into a page turner.

I really enjoyed the translation as well, and the way the Arabic wasn't erased out of the writing.

Cam wrote: "I really enjoyed the translation as well, and the way the Arabic wasn't erased out of the writing."

I am glad you liked it :)

Anyone one finished or still reading this book would like to share any thoughts?

Marilyn is doing a workshop/masterclass on how not to erase the Arabic out of the writing!

Wish I could teleport there:
https://arablit.org/2020/02/24/free-t...

Christina wrote: "I am on page 58, and so far I love it (which surprises me since it's only rated 3.47 stars - I thought it would be kind of awful). The author does a great job giving background information to make ..."

Oh I think it's the sort of "difficult" book that turns some people off. I understand the reaction but ...

I'm also reading the book. I like it. I'm not so far, pag. 30?, but I like the story. The english is for my a little bit symple. I mis a good english, such as you can read in brittain books.