Reading 1001 discussion
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July Perspective
Unfortunately, I do not know of many Arab voices on the list. There is One Thousand and One Nights of course. There are 2 books by Naguib Mahfouz of which I would love to read Midaq Alley which is about the uniqueness and universality of a Cairo Alley. Also taking place in a Cairo alley is Women at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi which is about a prostitute. There is also an Iranian book by Sadegn Hedeyat called The Blind Owl. Justine, by Lawrence Durrell, takes place in Alexandria and is impacted by its setting but Durrell is not a Arab voice. I am typing this on my mobile so I can not just click on title links. I will try and add the links once I am at a computer. I vote for Midaq Alley or Women at Point Zero right now unless others have different suggestions. Oh yes, Reluctant Fundamentalist is a great book and has an Arab voice as the narrator. It is by Mohsin Hamid. He was born in Pakistan and lives in NY and London. However, I just read it so it would not be my 1st choice even though I highly recommend it.
I didn’t think the Reluctant Fundamentalist would count - Pakistan isn’t an Arabic country, though it is a Muslim one. There are foreign Arabs who live there, but I couldn’t tell if this book was narrated then by a Pakistani or an Arab from Pakistan.
Three more are Season of Migration to the North, Snow, and Life Is a Caravanserai. I nominate the only 1001 book that applies that I have not read: Life Is a Caravanserai. It is a story about 1950s and 1960s Turkey, a transitional time in its history, as told from a child's perspective.
I will have to sit out the nominations as I do not know any of these books. If you are thinking Muslim countries rather than Arab, I am interested in the Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Sushicat wrote: "Turkey is also not an Arab country."It is a Muslim country. Iran and Pakistan are also not Arab.
Here is a Wikipedia page about Arabs in Turkey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabs_i...
Using the Arab definition only leaves a pool of 5 books to choose from. Midaq Alley
Miramar
Season of Migration to the North
The Arabian Nights (with 1000+ pages)
Woman at Point Zero
Expanding the definition to in include Muslims makes a larger number of books to choose from.
Thanks for the list. There is a huge difference between Arabs and Muslims as categories. Can I make a plea for Woman at Point Zero just because it is the only one available on Audible and I am in need of an Audible book when I start my travels tomorrow!
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See my response above
Jen wrote: "We can add Arab and Muslim voices to give us a larger pool of books"Yay! Thanks!
In that case, I’m definitely pushing for The Reluctant Fundamentalist. I think it’s so relevant to everything that’s going on right now, especially with the SCOTUS decision on the Muslim van.
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I think I would still wish for Woman at Point Zero as it is available, written by and about a women in the Muslim world and originally published in Arabic.
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I’ll officially nominate Midaq Alley (though I’d be just as happy with Miramar.) I’ve been meaning to read The Cairo Trilogy for years and this would give me an intro to the author.
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1. Season of Migration
2. Woman at point zero
3. The reluctant fundamentalist
4. Life is a caravanserai
5. Midaq Alley
Yah. I will listen to Woman at Point Zero.
I have read Woman at Point Zero, so I’ll try to get copies of the other four and read whatever arrives and I manage to read in the right month! (Am just now reading The Siege of Krishnapur from two months back!)
I will read Woman at Point Zero and hopefully Midaq Alley if I have time. I like the idea of both them taking place in Cairo.
I already own both 3 and 4, I’ll see how many I can squeeze in.
My library has the Reluctant Feminist so I will read that. And I requested an ILL for Woman at Point Zero.
I've also read four of the books. I'll read Life Is a Caravanserai if I can find a copy.
I’ve read all of them, I guess I’ll be sitting this one out. But I have lots of non-list Arab voices on my shelf, so I’ll read some of those.
I'm third in line for a library copy of Woman at Point Zero, hopefully it will come in soon. I really enjoyed Midaq Alley.
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I finished The Reluctant Fundamentalist and really liked it! I hope to read Woman at Point Zero also
I finished Woman at Point Zero. It was quite depressing and sad.
I finished Woman at Point Zero for my second book. I may still squeeze in Midaq Alley.
I just finished Woman at Point Zero also. I hope to read Midaq Alley too but I have a few other books in the queue first.
Finished Life Is a Caravanserai for my second book and posted a review. I highly recommend it (if you like magical realism).
Finished my first, Women at Point Zero...so good!
Do we have a July discussion set up yet?
Is there a July discussion thread somewhere?
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I’ve pondered this month.
1. There is a great difference in cultures between west and east. How did this book represent that difference?
2. How is feminist politics in the East different that the West?
3. Have you ever lived in one of these countries or even traveled through?
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Sory, I missed these questions. No formal July discussion but as Kristel mentioned, please add your own questions. I apologize for not stating this explicitly.
Either way, full 3 points allocated this month as long as you post a review.
I have long pondered how difficult it is for women in the Middle East. I once spent a whole flight arguing with the Somali man sitting next to me that the stuff I valued about my life would be impossible in his culture. To no avail, of course! I have had friends who had to adapt to not being able to drive or drink alcohol in Saudi Arabia and who couldn't wait to leave. I made friends with Muslim women in Sri Lanka but it was difficult because we had so little in common (except that our husband's loved rugby union). I did observe, however, that many arranged marriages seemed much more successful than those that weren't.
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Well said, and I agree about arranged marriages being more successful many times.
I have never lived or traveled in the Middle East. I have spent a great deal of time in Indonesia and Malaysia which are both largely Muslim countries but their cultures are quite different I believe. I do have a friend from Pakistan who strikes me as extremely feisty, loud, self-confident, irreverent and I always thought that she was that way because she had left her culture or she left her culture because she was that way. However, I am reading Midaq Alley now and the women are very spirited, showing off their passion, ambitions, and especially their anger (to the point of one of them regularly physically beating up her husband). The women and men are always yelling at each other. The religious rules and restrictions definitely cage the women’s freedoms as compared to the men in the same culture (or in this case the same alley) but not their sense of self. Once again, reading enlightens me to my own assumptions and prejudices.
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Of course this book is authored by a male and Woman at Point Zero (also set in Egypt) is by a female. There is a bit of difference between the perceptions. Midas Alley was written in 1947 and I do think the atmosphere in Egypt has changed a bit. Woman at Point Zero written in 1975. Interesting to compare the two books. I think the British had quite the presence yet in 1947 and in 1975 it would be Anwar Sadat.
Kristel wrote: "Pip wrote: "I have long pondered how difficult it is for women in the Middle East. I once spent a whole flight arguing with the Somali man sitting next to me that the stuff I valued about my life w..."What are we defining as a successful marriage? That it lasts? That it works to benefit both members? Or another criteria?
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I think a successful marriage is one that is satisfying to both partners. The reason why I think arranged marriages do tend to be successful is that parents know their children and know what what is comfortable to a family unit. Our values etc are established by our families whether we are rebellious or not. Maybe another reason why arranged marriages might last may be that those cultures don’t have a strongly held belief that a person can “quit a marriage” for any particular whims. Also many of those cultures don’t allow for women to get a divorce. Only men can do so.
Good point Kristel in regards the time frame difference between Woman at Point Zero and Midaq Alley.
Reading 1001
Books mentioned in this topic
Midaq Alley (other topics)Snow (other topics)
Life Is a Caravanserai (other topics)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (other topics)
The Arabian Nights (other topics)
More...
We are going to do something different for this month. Please nominate one book. The moderators will each pick one book from the pool of nominees and the randomizer will pick a 4th choice.
Do your best to convince us why we should pick your nominee.
Selections will close on July 27 at 6pm and books will be announced at 7pm ET