MENA 2018 Challenge Progress

[Niledaughter]

Yes Jalila , please do , we appreciate your effort a lot :)

[Nell]

The year's almost over, so I'm adding my books that fit the challenge. This group has helped me confirm several reads — this year leaning toward medieval Sufi-adjacent Persian literature.

Here's what I had:

2. One Historical Novel (or actual history book?)
Season of Migration to the North (Dec. 18) by Tayeb Salih — Let me just add that NYRB has provided some of the best consistent translatory prowess over the publishers I regularly frequent. Season of Migration to the North is a novella, but it is a hard read. It explores themes around the uprooting of post-colonial Sudanese students into largely British academic spheres, and the tensions involved in channelling visions for a future while dealing with the semi-patronistic atmospheres in the Western world and the grappling of old traditions at home. There are some serious topics touched upon, but regardless of characters' actions I thought Salih afforded a fairly humanistic approach to detailing different perspectives.
Layla and Majnun (May 21) by Nizami Ganjavi — This work doesn't fit perfectly under the "historical novel" umbrella; it's a long philosophical poem homogenized from several myth-like folk tales. I found myself much reminded of that kind of horror that comes with an elevated Platonic love — Majnun loses almost everything in his desire to obtain ideal love. Sort of like Dante's vision of Beatrice in Paradiso, that is part-beauty and part-pain (in Paradiso Beatrice occupies this role — she smiles but does not seem to hold Dante as familiar; looks past him). Would highly recommend!

3. One Crime Thriller
The Blind Owl (April 18) by Sadegh Hedayat — The literary scope is reduced in this small novel, but to great effect. Each architectural point, symbolic object (flowers, portrait) and character resurfaces in a different light with a different meaning, in the unreliable recollections of a young man fixated on a young woman. There is a mystery underneath, but I'll leave that to the readers.

8. A book by an author from The Arabian Peninsula
Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer (March 22) — Again, I cheat. This translation was aided by the folklorist Diane Wolkstein, but is all sourced from ancient Sumerian myths. Would recommend to those looking for eponymous female myths to complement Gilgamesh, et al.

9. A book by an author from The Maghreb
The Perfect Nanny (April 4) by Leïla Slimani — Most of this novel is set in Paris, but the author is Franco-Moroccan. Slimani uses a modified true crime story in very relational ways to explore the difficulties of professional families in upper-middle class situations that tend to offset the bulk of childrearing to low-paid help. Slimani has a good attention to relevant life experiences/dynamics — I found it to be a little lacking in character interiority, but still an interesting and relevant read.

10. A book by an author from Egypt
The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition: A Compendium of Knowledge from the Classical Islamic World (May 17) by Shihab al-Din al-Nuwayri — This is an interesting 1300s compilation of driving sources from Islamic/Persian thought in the early- to mid-medieval periods. I found the crossover of philosophy from ancient Greece to the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman Empire particularly enthralling, although I know Borges has also gone a long way in making modern readers aware of the philosophical sourcing that went into Sufi works like The Conference of the Birds. Heads up: There are some touchy accounts on the treatment of women (particularly in marriage) — this is a compilation of sources, and some sources are fairly dehumanizing on topics of race/gender.

12. A book by an Iranian author
The Rose Garden (The Gulistan) of Shekh Muslihu'd-Din Sadi of Shiraz (Oct. 6) by Saadi — This work I'll come back to. I have been meaning to read Saadi for some time, but I would have come to him earlier if I was aware of the range of minimalist stories/open-ended proverbs in the Gulistan. Probably best spaced out over time.

Well, those are my reads! I regret not having a footing in Arabic for some of these works, as I see is the case with several other MENA readers. However literary or conscientiously creative the translations are, I know I'm often reading a slightly different variation.

[Fl]

I feel the same! I started to read "Leg over leg" and had to give up when I realized that one of its qualities was to be a collection of rare or unique arabic words! I am sadly not equipped...

[Carol]

Jalilah wrote: "Does anyone want to do another challenge for 2019?"

Sure.

[Nan]

Yes thank you for all your work in 2018. It has been very helpful in expanding my reading.

[Nell]

Fl wrote: "I feel the same! I started to read "Leg over leg" and had to give up when I realized that one of its qualities was to be a collection of rare or unique arabic words! I am sadly not equipped..."

I've felt that way with a lot of particular German words. Sometimes there just aren't English equivalents!

[Jalilah]

For everyone interested in a 2019 check out this thread
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Niledaughter]

Fl wrote: "Not far to the end of the year, but I've done it! Although it doesn't seem to be recorded by Goodreads...

1. One biography: [book:Jassim - The Leader: Tribesman, Statesman and Father of a Nation. ..."

I am waiting to see your new list in 2019 , by the way are you thinking of completing The Cairo Trilogy ?
https://www.goodreads.com/series/5297...

[Jalilah]

So here is what I read for the 2018 challenge!

1. One biography Empress of the East: How a European Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire
2. One Historical Novel Birds Without Wings
3. One Crime Thriller Vertigo
4. "One Science Fiction or Dystopian novel Frankenstein in Baghdad
5. One collection of stories A Hundred and One Nights
6. One book that offers hope The Map of Salt and Stars
7.A book by an author from Al Sham The Night Counter
8. A book by an author from The Arabian Peninsula The Green Bicycle
9. A book by an author from The Maghreb Horses of God
10. A book by an author from Egypt The Open Door
11. A book by a Turkish author Three Daughters of Eve
12. A book by an Iranian author The Last Illusion

I think my absolute favourite of all of them was The Open Door. It left me thinking about it days afterwards.
One Hundred and One Nights was also a delightful surprise.
Frankenstein in Baghdad was the hardest to read, just because I found the subject matter repugnant.
It's hard for me to admit because Elif Shafak is one of my favourite authors but Three Daughters of Eve did not leave a strong impression on me. It wasn't bad, but not nearly as good as her other novels.

[Fl]

@Niledaughter : ''I am waiting to see your new list in 2019 , by the way are you thinking of completing The Cairo Trilogy ?''

Definitely! I actually took Palace of Desire with me when travelling in June, and left it on the plane... For the rest, I'll see were the group takes me ;-)

[Niledaughter]

Jalilah wrote: "Frankenstein in Baghdad was the hardest to read, just because I found the subject matter repugnant. ..."

Great list Jalila ! I have been hesitating to read "Frankenstein in Baghdad " for a while now .

Fl wrote: "Definitely! I actually took Palace of Desire with me when travelling in June, and left it on the plane... For the rest, I'll see were the group takes me ;-) ..."
Good luck !

[Melanie, Marhaba Language Expertise]

Thanks for sharing your list, Jalilah! I’m glad you enjoyed The Open Door and 101 Nights!