Stones of Bobello

(Paperback)

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Description

Set in the small town called Tarrana in the Nile Delta in the 1930s, Stones of Bobello revolves around nine episodes in the life of a sensitive young Christian boy - a montage of philosophical, mythical, and psychological perspectives that highlights the struggle between polarities of man and woman, Copt and Muslim, dreams and reality.Told in a heartbreakingly lyrical language that rarefies the most ordinary, mundane events, and brings startlingly to life the torpid climate of the Egyptian Delta, the language in Stones of Bobello allows for moments of erotic fantasy as well as an imaginative space where dreams and memories can flourish. A truly beautiful novel that deserves to be read and re-read.

Reviews

'Kharrat's prose is carefully wrought and offers ... richly melancholy pleasures.' TLS 'The mundane and the mystical meet in ... the finest prose.' Jordan Times Praise for Edwar al-Kharrat: 'More Proust than Durrell, and I think worthy of the comparison.'Doris Lessing 'A rich and rare achievement, gem-clear, mysteriously shimmering.' Guardian

Author Bio

Edwar Al-Kharrat is a novelist, poet, critic, translator and editor. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1926. Among his awards are the prestigious Oweiss Prize (the Arab world's largest prize for writers and intellectuals) and the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature. He was awarded the State Merit Award for Literature in 2000.Paul Starkey teaches Arabic language and literature at the University of Durham, where he is currently Director of the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. He is the author of a study of the Egyptian author Tawfiq al-Hakim and co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature. He has also translated Rashid al-Daif's novel Dear Mr Kawabata into English.