The War of the Gazelle tells the untold story of the foundational history of Libya, before the existence of cuneiform writing and hieroglyphics. The plot is built on the author’s interrogation of cave inscriptions and the mummy of a boy belonging to the Muhijiaj people, which precedes the mummies of the Pharaohs by two thousand years. Drawing on these, she explores Libyan history from the time when man ceased hunting and became settled, rearing animals and growing crops, focusing on the lives of the tribal peoples of the “Muhujia” kingdom – so named after the cave where the mummy was found in the extreme south-west of Libya. In this kingdom, Queen Tandrus ascends the throne after her brother dies in mysterious circumstances, and makes war on neighbouring tribes, to mark the boundaries of her power. The last of these wars is waged against the Maghiu tribes who have stolen the queen’s gazelle, an animal close to her heart with a special symbolism connected to her throne. Tripoli: Tripoli Scientific Shop 2019.
The Stairs of Trolar
The Stairs of Trolar is a daring and prophetic novel which re-imagines the political history of Algeria – and through it Arab history as a whole – in a satirical style, using fantastical elements to simulate reality. It follows the intersecting lives of different characters, according to the possible scenarios ordained for them by fate. The novel is set in the Algerian capital, whose story we read through that of Jamal Humaidi, his former wife Olga and others. Their stories are intertwined with the destiny of the explosive “Algerian revolution”; that revolution which arrived twenty years late. Algiers: Editions Barzakh 2019.
(Algeria)
The Spartan Court
The Spartan Court follows the interconnected lives of five characters in Algiers from 1815 to 1833. The first, Dupond, is a French journalist covering the colonial campaign against Algeria, the second, Caviard, is a former soldier in Napoleon’s army who finds himself a prisoner in the city and later becomes a planner for the campaign. The other three Algerian characters have different attitudes to the Ottoman and French colonial powers. Ibn Mayyar thinks that politics is a means of building relationships with the Ottomans and even the French, whilst Hamma al-Sallaoui believes that revolution is the only means of achieving change. The fifth character, Douja, is suspended somewhere between all these: she witnesses the transformation of Algiers helplessly and is forced to become a part of it, for one must live according to the city’s rules, or leave. Sine Loco: Dar Min 2019.
The Mingling of Seasons
The Mingling of the Seasons tells the story of a young Algerian man – ‘the Killer’. The book opens with his existential questions about the meaning of truth, death, good and evil, questions without answers in the context of a family life steeped in poverty and misery. When he kills a cat, he becomes convinced that within him is a secret power driving him to kill and to enjoy it. As the country goes through turmoil, he joins the killing brigade of the National Guard, fighting the armed terrorists who are murdering people daily (in 1994). He becomes a professional killer, happily executing nightly operations. The novel follows his story and the lives of other young Algerian men who came into existence in a time of savagery, where corrupt human beings wreak havoc and destruction, and human values are deprived of any meaning. Algiers: Editions El-Ikhtilef 2019.
The novel takes us on the journey of Hasan al-Barbari, who accompanies the giraffe sent by Mohammed Ali Pasha, ruler of Egypt in the nineteenth century, as a gift to the King of France. His journey reveals some surprises, since he is much more than a mere guard of the giraffe. The other protagonist in the novel is a historian who has dedicated his life to study and research. He is convinced that there was a conspiracy against the Pasha which struck fear into him at the end of his life. He explores all possible avenues in order to discover the truth, and finally decides to open the grave of the Pasha and examine his remains… Beirut: Arab Scientific Publishers 2019.