Description

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The acclaimed Moroccan author’s debut novel, this stunning portrait of the world of sex work describes its sordid reality with beautiful, poetic prose.

Available now for the first time in English, Demoiselles of Numidia offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of young women working in a Casablanca brothel—their relationships with each other and with their pimps, their dramas, and the rare moments of happiness that bloom in this violent underbelly.

Originally published in French in 1992, the novel quickly established Mohamed Leftah as one of Morocco’s great writers. It showcases the extraordinary combination of elegant language and graphic physicality, as well as the nuanced questioning of traditional gender roles, which would come to characterize his works.

About the Author

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Mohamed Leftah was a writer and journalist born in Settat, Morocco, in 1946. He attended engineering school in Paris and then returned in 1972 to Morocco, where he became a literary critic for Le Matin du Sahara and Le Temps du Maroc. His career as a novelist began with the publication of the critically acclaimed Demoiselles de Numidie in 1992, followed by ten more novels over the next nineteen years. Captain Ni’mat’s Last Battle (Other Press, 2022) was his first novel to be published in English. He died of cancer in 2008.
 
Lara Vergnaud is a translator of prose, creative nonfiction, and scholarly works from the French. She is the recipient of two PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants and a French Voices Grand Prize, and has been nominated for the National Translation Award. She lives in Washington, DC.

Praise For…

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“[A] vibrant debut about sex workers in a Casablanca brothel.” —New York Times Book Review
 
“Startling…impressive…this tragic work remains timely and relevant, encouraging the reader to reflect on universal themes of gender norms, the self-perpetuating cycle of violence, and the inextricable ties that forever bind victims and their victimizers.” —Washington Independent Review of Books

“Written in elegiac prose that tends toward the poetic register of the ghazal, Mohamed Leftah’s novel brings a specific place and time to an aching kind of life, even as it tells, with great empathy, the story of a people who are often relegated to the shadows. The relationship between Zapata and “the Dane,” Nadia and Sophia, and the stories of Rose and Nectarine will stay with readers a long time. Fans of Anosh Irani’s The Parcel and Orhan Pamuk’s My Name Is Red are especially in for a treat.” —Shastri Akella, author of The Sea Elephants

Praise for Captain Ni'mat's Last Battle:
 
“Alluring…graphic and sensuous without being prurient, and a piquant exploration of masculinity, gender, societal taboos, and the nature of love.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Thought provoking and engaging, with well-realized characters and a satisfying conclusion.” —Booklist

“Leftah is highly regarded in the francophone literary world (‘An observer of the abyss. A champion of delight’)…[Captain Ni’mat’s Last Battle is] a stylish and intelligent read…a landmark statement in Egypt’s exciting national conversation.” —The Spectator

“I read this gorgeous book in one sitting. The writing is poetic and breathtaking, rich with history. A must-read…Captain Ni’mat’s Last Battle is so riveting!” —Hasan Namir, Lambda Literary Award–winning author of God in Pink