Great African Reads discussion
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Distant View of a Minaret and Other Stories
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Rifaat: Distant View of a Minaret | (CL) first read: Apr 2014
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I'm going to read it also. But I'm kind of slow, so it will probably be closer to June.
I too am going to read it but will not be able to start until very late May/early June.
It only took me two days to read, it's very short = ) I remember Mona Eltahawy talking about reading the title story - it is amazing to hear that voice of hidden pain = (
Well, I am finally getting around to reading this one - has anyone else besides Zanna read it?Looking forward to discussing!
I have it in my Read These ASAP Stack but haven't started. I tend to be bad with short stories so I just need to plan out a little schedule for myself. :)
Finally got around to reading these stories - some of them are absolutely fantastic. Having just read Women of Algiers in their ApartmentI was really struck by the similarities and then the pretty substantial differences in their perspectives. Distant view of a Minaret is almost wholly domestically focused. I was fascinated how in many of the stories the routinization of life can be either a saving grace or one of the most difficult things for these women to endure. At the same time Alifah Rifat does a great job of keeping the reader away from drawing generalizations about women's lives in Egyptian society. I just finished the book so I will definitely want to post some comments about specific stories in the near future.
Zanna wrote: "It only took me two days to read, it's very short = ) I remember Mona Eltahawy talking about reading the title story - it is amazing to hear that voice of hidden pain = ("Is that discussion available online somewhere?
It was in her (in)famous foreign policy article "Why Do They Hate Us". http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles...
Which upset a lot of people, including, I believe, some anti-colonial activists and Muslim feminists
Her website is here: http://www.monaeltahawy.com/
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I loved this collection of short stories, predominantly written from the female perspective of life in 20th century Egypt. We see the double standards between men and women during this time. I found it interesting how her characters were typically very devout to their faith, yet often felt restricted by the expectations for women in traditional male-dominate Muslim society. The women in the stories came from a variety of different populations: young, old, rich, poor, urban, rural, etc. Rifaat's characters, although often oppressed, seem to nevertheless graciously accept their lots in life and stay true to their faith. I think her stories are more realistic snapshots of life in Muslim society rather than a criticism of such.
I have the book; I found my copy from college. I must have read it before, or at least some of the stories, but I will definitely be re-reading. It's a very slim volume.
Who will join me here?