Arab and Arab Diaspora Literature We Recommend

List of the Month
Avril 2024 (see all)
Description
In honor of Arab American Heritage Month, our List of the Month this April is devoted to Arab and Arab Diaspora Literature that we have read and recommend. For the purpose of this list, "literature" is defined to include fiction, poetry and plays. It does not include history, sociology, or other non-fiction works. Books should be written by Arab / Arab diaspora authors, which we define as being ethnically Arab, and either coming from Arabic-speaking nations and peoples, or descended from those nations and peoples. Please do not include Turkish, Persian or Afghani authors. Each participant may vote on ten titles. Please only downvote titles if they do not fit the theme, and are not Arab or Arab Diaspora literature.
1
فرانكشتاين في بغداد Frankenstein in Baghdad
de Ahmed Saadawi
791 membres
33 critiques
½ 3.6
5 Members
Aquila, ursula, AnnieMod, noveltea, Onilyn
Explications
AnnieMod: The 2014 winner of International Prize for Arabic Fiction
2
The Map of Salt and Stars
de Zeyn Joukhadar
772 membres
40 critiques
3.8
5 Members
msjudy, Onilyn, lillybaker123, micathe.local.femboy, claudiashakti
3
Minor Detail
de Adania Shibli
416 membres
23 critiques
4
4 Members
ursula, AnnieMod, Silviote, ash.smash
4
La trilogie
de Naguib Mahfouz
1,158 membres
17 critiques
½ 4.3
4 Members
Pferdina, nessreader, susanbooks, hikarugenji
5
Le Prophète
de Kahlil Gibran
14,306 membres
167 critiques
4.1
4 Members
gypsysmom, ahef1963, Michael.Rimmer, claudiashakti
6
L'immeuble Yacoubian
de Alaa al-Aswani
2,042 membres
96 critiques
½ 3.6
3 Members
lilithcat, kleo, micathe.local.femboy
7
The Turtle of Oman
de Naomi Shihab Nye
369 membres
18 critiques
3.8
3 Members
AbigailAdams26, micathe.local.femboy, claudiashakti
Explications
AbigailAdams26: An engaging work of middle grade fiction from Palestinian American author Naomi Shihab Nye, about a young boy facing a move from his home country of Oman to the US.
8
The Butterfly's Burden
de Mahmoud Darwish
122 membres
4.1
2 Members
Tess_W, arwa-fm
9
The Quarter: Stories
de Naguib Mahfouz
48 membres
12 critiques
½ 3.5
2 Members
gypsysmom, hikarugenji
10
Throne of the Crescent Moon
de Saladin Ahmed
1,361 membres
95 critiques
½ 3.6
2 Members
yoyogod, micathe.local.femboy
11
Meursault, contre-enquête
de Kamel Daoud
880 membres
37 critiques
½ 3.5
2 Members
thorold, nessreader
Explications
thorold: The Algerian view of Albert Camus’ L’étranger
12
La Civilisation, ma Mère !...
de Driss Chraïbi
129 membres
6 critiques
4.1
2 Members
thorold, arwa-fm
13
Pillars of Salt
de Fadia Faqir
108 membres
3 critiques
4
2 Members
kleo, susanbooks
14
Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza
de Mosab Abu Toha
46 membres
2 critiques
½ 4.3
2 Members
ursula, Silviote
15
Dear God. Dear Bones. Dear Yellow.
de Noor Hindi
41 membres
5
2 Members
susanbooks, claudiashakti
16
Before the Queen Falls Asleep
de Huzama Habayeb
4 membres
1 critique
5
2 Members
Helenliz, claudiashakti
17
What Strange Paradise
de Omar El Akkad
397 membres
28 critiques
½ 4.3
2 Members
gypsysmom, Dorothy2012
18
Femmes de sable et de myrrhe
de Hanan Al-Shaykh
524 membres
11 critiques
½ 3.3
2 Members
LolaWalser, micathe.local.femboy
19
The Thirty Names of Night
de Zeyn Joukhadar
312 membres
9 critiques
3.8
2 Members
msjudy, arwa-fm
20
The Queue
de Basma Abdel Aziz
252 membres
7 critiques
½ 3.5
2 Members
kleo, gypsysmom
21
The Wild Fox of Yemen: Poems
de Threa Almontaser
60 membres
2 critiques
3.9
2 Members
AnnieMod, arwa-fm
22
Passage des miracles
de Naguib Mahfouz
1,450 membres
39 critiques
3.8
2 Members
gypsysmom, hikarugenji
23
Distant View of a Minaret and Other Stories
de Alifa Rifaat
193 membres
3 critiques
3.9
2 Members
LolaWalser, susanbooks
24
Birds Through a Ceiling of Alabaster: Three Abbasid Poets
de G. B. H. Wightman
67 membres
2 critiques
3.1
2 Members
Michael.Rimmer, arwa-fm
25
The Unquiet Dead
de Ausma Zehanat Khan
478 membres
44 critiques
3.8
2 Members
Tess_W, gypsysmom
Explications
gypsysmom: The author is the daughter of people who are part of the Arab diaspora and she has lived in Gaza herself. This book is mainly set in Toronto but references the war in the Balkans and has a Muslim detective.
26
The Italian
de Shukrī Mabkhoūt
22 membres
2 critiques
½ 3.3
2 Members
AnnieMod, arwa-fm
Explications
AnnieMod: The winner of the 2015 International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
27
Les vies de papier
de Rabih Alameddine
1,250 membres
85 critiques
4
Member
msjudy
28
Les filles de Riyad : Récit
de Rajaa Alsanea
1,203 membres
72 critiques
½ 3.3
Member
ValerieAndBooks
29
Ferdaous, une voix en enfer
de Nawal El Saadawi
1,049 membres
36 critiques
3.9
Member
LolaWalser
30
Cette aveuglante absence de lumière
de Tahar Ben Jelloun
536 membres
18 critiques
4.1
Member
raidergirl3
31
La Nuit sacrée
de Tahar Ben Jelloun
362 membres
4 critiques
½ 3.5
Member
Rommert
32
Hayy Ibn Yaqzan: A Philosophical Tale
de Ibn Tufayl
273 membres
4 critiques
½ 3.7
Member
paradoxosalpha
33
Red Suitcase
de Naomi Shihab Nye
133 membres
2 critiques
4
Member
chellerystick
34
The Three Lucys
de Hayan Charara
33 membres
5 critiques
4.1
Member
AbigailAdams26
Explications
AbigailAdams26: A heartbreaking picture book from Lebanese American author Hayan Charara about a child's experience of war.
35
The Storyteller of Damascus
de Rafik Schami
28 membres
4
Member
slimikin
36
Passage au crépuscule
de Rachid al-Daif
24 membres
1 critique
4.9
Member
fannyprice
37
Velvet
de Huzama Habayeb
17 membres
5 critiques
½ 3.3
Member
Ling.Lass
38
Les Deux Chapelles: 1938-1940 poèmes
de Céline Axelos
1 utilisateur
Member
Maddz
Explications
Maddz: Céline Axelos was a member of a Lebanese literary family and resided for many years in Alexandria, Egypt.
39
Hakawati
de Rabih Alameddine
879 membres
36 critiques
3.9
Member
ValerieAndBooks
40
L'arabe du futur (French Edition)
de Riad Sattouf
736 membres
31 critiques
3.9
Member
Ling.Lass
41
Parfum de poussière
de Rawi Hage
615 membres
27 critiques
½ 3.5
Member
raidergirl3
42
Sand and Foam
de Kahlil Gibran
570 membres
6 critiques
3.9
Member
Michael.Rimmer
43
Ten Ways to Hear Snow
de Cathy Camper
365 membres
7 critiques
4.2
Member
AbigailAdams26
Explications
AbigailAdams26: A lovely picture book from Arab American author Cathy Camper, featuring the bond between grandmother and granddaughter, and their appreciation for the natural world around them.
44
Les Arabes dansent aussi
de Sayed Kashua
171 membres
9 critiques
½ 3.4
Member
Tess_W
45
Palestine's Children: Returning to Haifa and Other Stories
de Ghassan Kanafani
151 membres
5 critiques
4.1
Member
fannyprice
46
Three Holidays and a Wedding
de Uzma Jalaluddin
103 membres
3 critiques
½ 3.3
Member
Dorothy2012
47
Rifqa
de Mohammed El-Kurd
89 membres
½ 4.7
Member
ursula
48
The Teeth of the Comb and Other Stories
de Osama Alomar
44 membres
3 critiques
4.2
Member
lilithcat
49
Les Marches d'Ivoire: Poèmes
de Céline Axelos
1 utilisateur
Member
Maddz
Explications
Maddz: Céline Axelos was a member of a Lebanese literary family and resided for many years in Alexandria, Egypt.
50
Saison de la migration vers le Nord
de Tayeb Salih
1,666 membres
47 critiques
3.8
Member
Tess_W
51
The Stone of Laughter
de Hoda Barakat
97 membres
2 critiques
½ 3.6
Member
fannyprice
Explications
fannyprice: An amazing novel about a gay man trying to cope with life and come to terms with his identity during the Lebanese Civil War in the late 1980s.
52
Hotline
de Dimitri Nasrallah
63 membres
2 critiques
3.9
Member
Dorothy2012
53
Voices of the Lost
de Hoda Barakat
55 membres
2 critiques
3.2
Member
AnnieMod
Explications
AnnieMod: The 2019 winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction
54
La mort est une corvée
de Khālid Khalīfah
259 membres
16 critiques
½ 3.4
Member
ursula
55
Histoire de Zahra
de Hanan Al-Shaykh
244 membres
4 critiques
½ 3.3
Member
LolaWalser
56
Deluge
de Leila Chatti
44 membres
½ 4.5
Member
susanbooks
57
Vienne la nuit
de Naguib Mahfouz
41 membres
3 critiques
4
Member
Michael.Rimmer
58
Beirut '75
de Ghada Samman
24 membres
1 critique
3.8
Member
fannyprice
59
Hamda and Fisaikra
de Kaltham Al-Ghanem
3 membres
1 critique
½ 3.5
Member
AbigailAdams26
Explications
AbigailAdams26: A gorgeous retelling of an Arabian Cinderella variant from Qatari author Kaltham Al-Ghanem.
60
The Book of Disappearance
de Ibtisam Azem
46 membres
2 critiques
½ 3.7
Member
ursula
61
Fullblood Arabian
de Osama Alomar
32 membres
2 critiques
4
Member
LolaWalser
62
Tales of a Severed Head
de Rachida Madani
19 membres
2 critiques
3
Member
Michael.Rimmer
63
Mah and Me
de Ibtihaj Al-Harthi
3 membres
1 critique
4
Member
AbigailAdams26
Explications
AbigailAdams26: A heartfelt and poignant picture book examination of the loss of a grandparent, from Omani author/artist Ibtihaj Al-Harthi.
64
Koolaids: The Art of War
de Rabih Alameddine
136 membres
1 critique
4
Member
susanbooks
65
Adonis: Selected Poems
de Adonis
95 membres
½ 4.7
Member
Michael.Rimmer
66
Le citron
de Mohammed Mrabet
93 membres
5 critiques
3.8
Member
LolaWalser
67
The Illustrator's Notebook
de Mohieddine Ellabbad
48 membres
4 critiques
4.1
Member
AbigailAdams26
Explications
AbigailAdams26: A gorgeous picture book with multimedia artwork from Egyptian author and artist Mohieddine Ellabbad.
68
Brooklyn Heights
de Miral al-Tahawy
46 membres
4 critiques
2.9
Member
AnnieMod
69
Les Corps Célestes
de Jokha Alharthi
555 membres
21 critiques
½ 3.4
Member
AnnieMod
70
Century of Locusts
de Malika Mokeddem
37 membres
1 critique
½ 3.3
Member
susanbooks
71
Qu'elle aille au diable, Meryl Streep !
de Rashid al-Daif
17 membres
½ 2.5
Member
LolaWalser
72
We Wrote in Symbols: Love and Lust by Arab Women Writers
de Selma Dabbagh
16 membres
3
Member
ursula
73
Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories
de Ghassan Kanafani
318 membres
10 critiques
4.1
Member
LolaWalser
74
Mother of Strangers
de Suad Amiry
47 membres
½ 3.3
Member
ursula
75
Confessions
de Rabee Jaber
38 membres
1 critique
3.8
Member
susanbooks
76
Short Arabic Plays: An Anthology
de Salma Khadra Jayyusi
8 membres
½ 4.3
Member
AnnieMod
77
A Sister to Scheherazade
de Assia Djebar
122 membres
3 critiques
3.1
Member
susanbooks
78
Hunters in a Narrow Street
de Jabra Ibrahim Jabra
13 membres
4
Member
LolaWalser
79
The Secret Life of Saeed, The Pessoptimist
de Imīl Ḥabībī
260 membres
4 critiques
½ 3.4
Member
LolaWalser
80
Du rêve pour les oufs
de Faïza Guène
111 membres
5 critiques
3.2
Member
susanbooks
81
Voyages
de Ibn Battuta
338 membres
5 critiques
3.9
82
The Twenty-Ninth Year
de Hala Alyan
46 membres
1 critique
½ 3.3
83
Arabs: a 3,000-year history of peoples, tribes and empires
de Tim Mackintosh-Smith
226 membres
2 critiques
4
Explications
lilithcat : Not fiction or poetry, not by an Arabic (or diasporic) author.
84
Exit West
de Mohsin Hamid
3,616 membres
231 critiques
3.8
Member
gypsysmom, ,susanbooks ,Rommert ,Michael.Rimmer
Explications
susanbooks: Hamid is Pakistani
85
I Saw Ramallah
de Mourid Barghouti
310 membres
9 critiques
4.1
Explications
lilithcat : Neither fiction nor poetry.
86
Farewell Fountain Street
de Selçuk Altun
3 membres
1 critique
3
Member
Helenliz,lilithcat , , ,fannyprice ,AnnieMod ,Rommert ,Michael.Rimmer ,
Explications
lilithcat : Author is Turkish, not Arabic.
: Tenuto conto che l'autore è del 1950 non si può nemmeno collegarlo all'impero ottomano: è turco al 100%
87
Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood
de Fatima Mernissi
902 membres
22 critiques
3.8
Explications
lilithcat : Neither fiction nor poetry.
88
Talking About Jane Austen in Baghdad: The True Story of an Unlikely Friendship
de Bee Rowlatt
127 membres
10 critiques
½ 3.6
Explications
lilithcat : Neither fiction nor poetry.
89
Quatrains
de Omar Khayyám
2,918 membres
34 critiques
4
Member
cipeciop, ,lilithcat , , ,fannyprice ,AnnieMod ,susanbooks ,Rommert ,Michael.Rimmer , ,
Explications
lilithcat : What susanbooks said; Persians are not Arabs.
susanbooks: Wonderful work, but Persian.
: Anche se da alcuni suoi trattati si sviluppò lo studio dell'algebra da parte degli arabi resta persiano!
90
Je suis Pilgrim
de Terry Hayes
2,828 membres
175 critiques
4
Explications
lilithcat : Not an Arabic author.
91
Sandstorm
de James Rollins
2,449 membres
56 critiques
½ 3.7
Explications
lilithcat : Rollins is Polish-American, not Arabic.
92
Les cerfs-volants de Kaboul
de Khaled Hosseini
52,840 membres
1,300 critiques
4.2
Explications
lilithcat : Author is Afghani, not Arabic.
susanbooks: Not Arab
: E' afghano: inserirlo in questa lista significa fare confusione tra i termini arabo e islamico
93
Mille Soleils Splendides
de Khaled Hosseini
30,328 membres
895 critiques
½ 4.3
Explications
lilithcat : Author is Afghani, not Arabic.
susanbooks: Not Arab.
: E' afghano: inserirlo in questa lista significa fare confusione tra i termini arabo e islamico
94
Exodus
de Leon Uris
4,198 membres
66 critiques
4.1
Explications
lilithcat : Not Arab literature. Uris was Jewish-American.
: not Arab
: Non arabo, filo israeliano. Bene in una lista sul conflitto tra Palestina e Israele, ma non coerente per la scrittura araba e della diaspora
95
The Haj
de Leon Uris
1,635 membres
28 critiques
½ 3.6
Explications
lilithcat : Not Arab literature. Uris was Jewish-American.
: Non arabo, filo israeliano. Bene in una lista sul conflitto tra Palestina e Israele, ma non coerente per la scrittura araba e della diaspora
96
La Source
de James A. Michener
3,987 membres
61 critiques
4.1
Explications
lilithcat : Not Arab or diasporic literature.
Cecrow : Great book, but agree it's not Arab
: Not remotely Arab
97
The Kill Artist
de Daniel Silva
2,498 membres
71 critiques
3.8
Explications
lilithcat : Daniel Silva is NOT Arabic.
: The story is an Israeli-Palestinian trope, not based on an Arab diaspora theme; written by an American, born in the USA.
98
The Red Tent
de Anita Diamant
16,930 membres
394 critiques
4
Explications
lilithcat : ARAB literature? Are you kidding me? First of all, the author is an American. Secondly, the novel is about Jews. Criminy.
Tess_W : Jewish literature
: Mi pare non c'entri proprio nulla con la letteratura araba