In ‘The Drone Eats with Me,’ Reader Between Surveillor and Surveilled
“Here, we are confronted with the question: In our act of reading, are we down there with the narrator or are we up there with the drone?”
Reviews
Books Inside Books: An Infinite History of Modern Libya
“To help me explore Hisham Matar’s The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land In Between (2016), I ordered a sneeze-inducing, water-stained copy of Knud Holmboe’s Desert Encounter: An Adventurous Journey Through Italian Africa (my copy was printed in 1937), re-read parts of Alessandro Spina’s Confines of the Shadow epic, and even, among other things, pulled Dante off the shelf.”
‘The Return’: Hisham Matar’s Greatest Book So Far
“If there is a villain in this book, it is not Muammar Ghaddafi, who we never see. It is his bald son Seif[.]”
‘Hot Whiteness’: A Commentary on Schizophrenic Egypt
“The narrator Abla/Loula tells her story – alternating between the two sides of her schizophrenic self – against the background of the turbulent political times that followed the January 25th revolution.”
Al-Koni’s ‘The New Waw’: The Desert as a Central Character
“There are few names in the narrative, and only a few characters who appear throughout the novel to guide the reader through. It is easier to regard the landscape as the only consistent character.”
Why Algerian Novelist Boualem Sansal’s ‘2084’ is a Sensation in France
“Think you might read ‘2084’? You should, but be prepared.”
Asia Alfasi’ ‘Extraordinary Tales’: Bringing Together Libya, Scotland, and Manga
Translator Valentina Viene profiles “Muslim Libyan Arab British graphic novelist” Asia Alfasi, who has moved from writing about her identity to, more broadly, life in Libya and Scotland.
Blue Lorries, a strong contender for the Banipal Prize of Arabic Literary Translation
“As a translator, one of the most impressive and delightful feats in the English version is where Nada and her father unwind in the evening by playing a beloved poetry game.”
‘Oh Salaam!’: Is Change Possible in Post-war Beirut?
“…it’s a fast-paced, novella-length work, reminiscent of Muriel Spark’s ‘Driver’s Seat’, both for its black humor and for the way its characters slide precipitously into danger.”