Abdelrahman Munif Book order

Abdul Rahman Munif stands as one of the most significant Arab novelists of the 20th century. His works masterfully capture Arab socio-political realities and the violent cultural shifts that swept through the Gulf region, particularly due to the oil boom. His background as a petroleum expert provided him with a profound understanding of oil economics and the deep-seated transformations the oil revolution wrought upon the very fabric of Arab Gulf societies. Munif's writing is characterized by its insightful analysis and sensitive portrayal of modernization's impact on traditional life.

1989
Cities of Salt
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Set in an unnamed Persian Gulf kingdom in the 1930s, this remarkable novel tells the story of the disruption and diaspora of a poor oasis community following the discovery of oil there. The meeting of the Arabs and the Americans who, in essence, colonize the remote region is a cultural confrontation in which religion, history, superstition, and mutual incomprehension all play a part.Powerful political fiction that it is, CITIES OF SALT has been banned in several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia. This novel, the first volume in a trilogy, has been translated from the Arabic to the English by Peter Theroux.

Cities of Salt