Description

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A brutal tale of revenge, insanity and depravity by the winner of the Arabic Booker Prize 2010.

In a bitter culture clash underpinned by racial and class tension, both perpetrator and victim lose out. This no-holds-barred account tells how a man loses a leg and his sanity in his obsession to gain revenge. Madness derived from obsessive behavior sees another of the players plunge to the depths of depravity in a bid to appease evil spirits.

This is prize-winning author Abdo Khal at his best, confident and shocking in his confrontation of entrenched shibboleth. Powerful and controversial writing by an author who is known for the unblinking acuity he brings to his metaphorical presentation of life's angsts.

Part of Nomad Publishing's range of authors in translation, painting a vivid picture of Arabia at a time of astonishingly rapid change.

About the Author

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Abdo Khal was born and raised in Jeddah, in the west of Saudi Arabia, and worked in media and journalism, rising to editor-in-chief of Al Okaz newspaper, before becoming acclaimed as a creative writer. He is known across the Arab world for his distinctive writing style blending the dialect of his region with the traditional high Arabic of the Quran. His writing, often critical of the wealthy elites, confronts the taboos or religion, sex and politics. He is the winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction for Throwing Sparks.