Ten Essential Novels That Showcase the Rich Literary Culture of the Middle East

Despite having an Arab father, I wasn’t introduced to the rich literary, musical and poetic traditions of the Middle East. Worship was always considered more important. But this left me with an imbalance. At school I learnt about the Western literary canon whilst knowing nothing about the creative output of my own ancestors.

As soon as I graduated, I began wandering around the Middle East alone, searching for my cultural inheritance. I studied the language, read literary works, and became invested in the potential for political and social change. Eventually, I forged an entire career in Iraq, my father’s homeland.

My debut novel Fundamentally is inspired by the intense years I spent working for NGOs in Iraq. It uses dark humor to satirize the troubled state of the international aid industry, and to untangle the experiences of second-generation British Muslims who fruitlessly search for themselves in the Middle East. The novel follows Nadia, a young British academic, who is recruited by the UN to lead a deradicalization program for ISIS women in Iraq. Beset by corrupt politicians, bumbling colleagues, and a hostile squawking budgie, Nadia almost gives up. But when she meets Sara, a teenager from East London who joined ISIS at just fifteen, Nadia plays out her brown savior fantasies—risking catastrophe.

Contemporary Middle Eastern literature, and novels written by the Arab diaspora, have played an important role in situating my own writing as part of a broader, non-Western literary landscape. The following ten novels are my essentials:

*

Nawal el-Saadawi, Woman at Point Zero

Firdaus has murdered her pimp and is awaiting the death penalty in an Egyptian prison cell. From there, she narrates the story of her life; a cacophony of abuse, sexual exploitation, coercive control, and violence. But there is power in Firdaus’ voice, a total clarity of vision, and the frankest of verdicts on the cost of patriarchy.

The novel is a scream of fury, reportedly written in a single week, and it’s so emotionally forceful that I’m still reeling twenty years after reading it.

Kanan Makiya, The Rope

A stunning novel about the role Iraqis played in squandering the opportunity to forge a better country after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Narrated by a Shi’a militiaman who witnesses the hanging of the former President, the story untangles key turning points that saw Iraq collapse into vengeful and horrifying sectarian violence.

I was astonished by how profoundly truthful and brave this novel was. Celebrated author Kanan Makiya, a proponent of the Iraq war, risked opprobrium to interrogate the failures of his own community, and with beautifully written and melancholic prose, he provides unparalleled insight into the emotional reality of post-invasion Iraq.

Saleem Haddad, Guapa

Rasa’s grandmother has caught him in bed with his lover Taymour. For two young Arab gay men, this could be catastrophic. As Rasa spends the day trying to persuade Taymour to remain in the relationship, we meander through an Arab city torn apart by authoritarianism, police brutality, and a resistance movement increasingly dominated by Islamists.

A mournful meditation on the failure of secular revolutionaries in the Middle East, and the internal battle faced by those who desire the overthrow of corrupt regimes, but who fear the repression of conservative Islam. The novel also dissects shame culture, the post-9/11 Arab American experience, and the search for belonging amidst localized and internationalized forms of racism and homophobia.

Isabella Hammad, Enter Ghost

After years of ignoring her ancestral home, Sonia returns to Haifa following a difficult romantic breakup. At first, she is defensive about her long absence, worried about her foreignness, and uncertain about her place. But when she meets fearless and bold theatre director Mariam, she is drawn into a local production of Hamlet. As her life mingles with those of the cast, she allows herself to fully experience the reality of contemporary Palestine.

A quiet, finely written novel that builds to a satisfying set-piece ending. It allows plenty of space for thoughtful reflection on the responsibility of the diaspora, the tension between those who stay and those who leave, and the family secrets and obfuscations that weaken the foundations of our identity.

Hisham Matar, In the Country of Men

An ordinary childhood is disrupted by the aftermath of the 1969 Libyan revolution. In between playtimes, nine-year-old Suleiman sees men rounded up by regime thugs and interrogated on state television. With his own father at risk, fear permeates the household, books are burned, and Suleiman is left alone with his terror and confusion.

A remarkable depiction of the impact of a political crackdown on a family. The relationship between Suleiman and his mother is superbly nuanced and well-drawn, veering between love, neglect and frustration. The novel leaves us with empathy for all, but a profound sadness for the child at its heart.

Alaa al Aswany, The Yacoubian Building

A lively and rambunctious tale about the residents of a Cairo apartment block, each from differing socio-economic backgrounds. We follow a wide cast of characters as they try to forge a path through the corruption, venality and disappointments of contemporary Egyptian life.

Sharply satirical, but maintaining a lightness of touch, the novel manages to be both insightful and genuinely enjoyable. It is particularly skilled at weaving together distinct narratives to demonstrate how different elements of Egyptian society interact and impact each other.

Rajaa Alsanea, Girls of Riyadh

In Saudi Arabia, a narrator sends a weekly email to members of her subscription list, sharing intimate details of the lives of her four female friends. Challenging Saudi taboos, the upper-class girls fall in love with the wrong men, drive illegally, sometimes drink alcohol, and revel in superficial pursuits. But beneath it all, each girl struggles to balance her own needs with society’s expectations. Meanwhile, the narrator’s honesty is rewarded with hate-mail, as some of her subscribers object to the lifestyles she depicts.

That it’s a fun read belies how ground-breaking the novel was. It caused a stir across the Arab world when it was first published in 2005. And though Saudi Arabia has liberalized significantly since then, it remains a rare insight into young female life amidst the restrictive social mores of the Kingdom.

Naguib Mahfouz, Palace Walk

The first novel in Mahfouz’s Cairo Trilogy, Palace Walk follows hypocritical patriarch al-Sayyid Ahmad who imposes strict conservative rules on his household, whilst indulging his love of alcohol and women on the side. We watch the capricious father restrict the lives of his wife and children, before a gathering political revolt against British military occupation loosens his grip.

Despite being published in the 1950s and set in the 1910s, the novel feels remarkably contemporary, and the narrative voice is accessible, engaging, and humorous. Mahfouz is a Nobel Prize winner, and this novel is widely considered an Arab masterpiece.

Basma Abdel Aziz, The Queue

In a dystopian version of contemporary Egypt, citizens must supplicate to a faceless, hyper-centralized regime to meet their basic needs. Yehia, a man who has been shot, is forced to join an enormous queue at ‘the Gate’ to gain permission for the bullet to be removed from his pelvis. The Gate never opens, and officials deny that Yehia’s bullet even exists. Amidst this insanity, will a doctor risk his own life to save Yehia’s?

A bold work of satire that brings elements of Kafka and Orwell to the modern Arab world. It’s an infuriating read, made all the more disturbing by how familiar it feels to those who’ve ever engaged with Egypt’s bureaucratic institutions.

Ahmed Saadawi, Frankenstein in Baghdad

During the Iraqi civil war, a junk dealer collects body parts of bomb victims, hoping to provide victims with more dignified burials. But the stitched-together body, called “Whatsitsname,” comes to life and wages a campaign of vengeance. But as the murders escalate, we can no longer disentangle innocents from perpetrators.

Fantastically original and deeply macabre, the novel captures the insanity, confusion, and brutality of civil war. Borrowing from a multitude of genres, including horror, science-fiction, and magic realism, the narrative itself is stitched together much like the body at is centre.

__________________________________

Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis is available from Tiny Reparations Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.