Middle East/North African Lit discussion

Here , we are discussing The Bleeding of the Stoneby Ibrahim al-Koni

Enjoy :)

i finally received my copy yesterday! It's very short so i plan on reading it all at once on Saturday morning. Has anyone/is anyone else reading it? I know Spencer has read it and i believe he'll be leading the discussion once we have some participants. :D

I have read it three or four times, but I don't have a copy now. Maybe I can find one at a local bookstore. Just got a new al-Koni short story in the mail with African Writing 11. Yay!

I am reading this now...I love it so far....:)

Laurie wrote: "I am reading this now...I love it so far....:)"

yay!
i am going to read it tomorrow morning with my coffee. :D

I have it now , I do not know if I will read it or (memory in the flesh)first !

Nile daughter wrote: "I have it now , I do not know if I will read it or (memory in the flesh)first !"

I still have not read Memory in the Flesh! I really must, as Ahlam is such a phenom. But I have heard bad things about the translation....

Marcia wrote: "Nile daughter wrote: "I have it now , I do not know if I will read it or (memory in the flesh)first !"

I still have not read Memory in the Flesh! I really must, as Ahlam is such a phenom. But I ha..."


I was searching where I read that post !
I hope you will have time to read it with us , I am becoming slower every day !

I finished the Bleeding of the Stone. i thought the imagery was really powerful. I almost couldn't believe i was reading a translation yet at the same time i'd love to be able to read this in the original someday.

I started the book last night , it has a very strange atmosphere !

i thought the atmosphere of the book changed drastically whenever the story switched from the perspective of Assouf to Cain.

I was busy and I did not read for a while , I love the author style and I am re-reading some parts !! cruel ..magical and philosophical!

now I am more than 70% of the novel - there is aditional analytical article at the end of my edition - translated from Russian , written by Dimitri Mikulski (?) .

Marieke
I started Cain parts , I sence the change , I f I did not have to go now I would not leave without finishing it !

you have an analytical article at the end of yours? hm. i want that! :D
i will check things here at work to see if i can find a Mikulski article about this book in English...

I finished the unique novel …finally !
I loved Al Kuni style , descriptions , oh my God he made me fell in love with desert , unite with nature , the amount of spirituality in this book is amazing ! Sufi's believes intersected with local myths in a combination to reflect the Libyan desert society .
I think this book needs deep and long discussion .

Thanks to our friend (Dubai reader) , we have this :
http://readkutub.wordpress.com/2007/1...

And this ( a very useful article about Ibrahim al-Koni in general) :
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/773/c...

The first and only time I ever saw the desert was in Egypt. I thought it was astounding. I reacted the same way that you did, Nile Daughter...I'll have a look at those articles once I get to work. :)

Nile daughter wrote: "I finished the unique novel …finally !
I loved Al Kuni style , descriptions , oh my God he made me fell in love with desert , unite with nature , the amount of spirituality in this book is amazing..."
Appreciated the links, Nile Daughter. I also would like to read the analytical article at the end.

Here's my review --
A quick read, much appreciated after struggling through Ahlam Mosteghanemi's (أحلام مستغانمي) Memory in the Flesh. Set in the remote mountain desert of southern Libya, a reclusive vegetarian bedouin goat herder with an unusual affinity with animals, is forced to deal with a hunter crazed with hunger for meat.

I loved the vegetarian and ecological issues as well as Asouf's ability to draw on his unending patience.  I'll be looking for more books in Interlink Publishing's Emerging Voices, New International Fiction Series.

Link to interview with a translator of Al-Koni, Elliott Colla, which talks about the geography of his writing. Bleeding of the Stone, however, was translated by May Jayyusi and Christopher Tingley.  Also I liked this review in Heraclitean Fire.

I just started the book. I'm having a hard time picturing the terrain. I've never been to the desert, so it's hard for me to imagine. When I think of a desert, I just think of hot sand. It's hard for me to incorporate rocks and valleys and caves. There's a short glossary in the back, but I find that it's not sufficient for me. I'm doing searches for "jinn" and "wadi." Does anyone know of any online guides that can help me? Some type of glossary that I can print up. Also, does anyone have links to photos of these types of "jinn" drawings on the cave walls? Thanks!

Catherine
I am glad you like the book so far , Thanks for the links , you know I did not read mush about Twareg myself , but I recognized the role of Berbes in general when I read about Islamic Spain , I felt also so ignorant when I heard about them in west desert in Egypt , BTW The Sunset Oasis speaks about such societies but in the 19 th century and from a totally different aspect .
for (memory in flesh) I only finished 10% of it , I will pass by its thread later , I hope you will find good collection in Emerging Voices – I believe I added some from it to the bookshelves .

Alicatte :
I am sorry I can not help you with a glossary , but for Wadi= valley , Jinn= goblin ?
some images I reached:
http://bnat.bo7.net/%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia...

http://www.odej-eloued.com/eloued/his...

Alicatte wrote: "I'm having a hard time picturing the terrain. I've never been to the desert, so it's hard for me to imagine."

Alicatte, the images (thanks Nile Daughter for the links) remind me a lot of Monument Valley in northern AZ and the mountain/desert area of southern Utah also. I was surprised at the similarities. We don't have much sand here, mostly hard dry scrub land near the mountains.

Nile Daughter, Awesome! Thanks so much! These images really help to transport me into the story.

I am glad you liked the images :D
If you all finished it , can we discuss it more , the ending for example , what did you think of it ?

I'm reading it now - into the third chapter. Cannot really identify with this protag, but just the same, I'm intrigued with the part of the world he's showing me.

Carly : intrigued ..that is the word I was looking for after the magical trip in desert !

Myths intersection was dazzling , within it: Asouf and Cain ...two sides of human nature and to reach that cruel ending with them , I was frozen trying to understand .

I've never been in the desert, in the sense of Sahara, Gobi - like that - but I have been up in Ashcroft, BC and that is actually considered as 'desert'.

Desert plants grow on the hills there. Desert doesn't necessarily have to be a hot dry place.

I only found that out about 4 years ago.

We're nearly finished the book. It takes you there, but it's a bit repetitive.

There are some humorous parts - a 'dry' kinda' humour, you might say.

Just the thought of people out there talking to the camels, the gazelles, is enough for a laugh.

Cows get a good review in this book.

It's a light hearted thing about Libya, compared to what's going on there right now.

OK - finished up yesterday - an enjoyable tale with a little education thrown in.

I'm never going to look at deer, caribou, goats, etc., in the same way again.

BTW - this Sunday night, the Nature channel has something on - animals in South African.

Maybe we'll find the waddan there.

Only through dust will the son of Adam be filled.

Carly

Only through dust will the son of Adam be filled.

It is a proverb we use in Arabic :) glad you liked it . I posted some images in message 18 if you wanr to check them .

Nile daughter wrote: "Catherine
I am glad you like the book so far , Thanks for the links , you know I did not read mush about Twareg myself , but I recognized the role of Berbes in general when I read about Islamic Sp..."

Images you posted - thanks . . . just looked at the first link - well, of course I don't read Arabic, but the pictures are marvelous - I just love the elephant carved in the wall.

Nile daughter wrote: "Catherine
I am glad you like the book so far , Thanks for the links , you know I did not read mush about Twareg myself , but I recognized the role of Berbes in general when I read about Islamic Sp..."

Images you posted - thanks . . . just looked at the first link - well, of course I don't read Arabic, but the pictures are marvelous - I just love the elephant carved in the wall.