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Cities Of Salt

by Abdelrahman Munif
Cities Of Salt

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  • Synopses & Reviews

ISBN13: 9780394755267
ISBN10: 039475526X
Condition: Standard


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25 Books to Read Before You Die: World Edition

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Staff Pick

Cities of Salt might just be the most important Arabic-language novel published in the entire 20th century, as it brilliantly dramatizes what happens when oil is discovered in an unnamed Persian Gulf kingdom in the 1930s. Unsurprisingly banned in Saudi Arabia, this first volume of a quintet exploring the collision between Western industrialism and traditional ways of life — and the human and societal costs of this collision — looms larger every year that passes as a monument to truth. Recommended By Jason C., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

Banned in Saudia Arabia, this is a blistering look at Arab and American hypocrisy following the discovery of oil in a poor oasis community.

Review

"Banned in several Middle Eastern countries, this novel records the encounter between Americans and Arabs in an unnamed Gulf emirate in the 1930s. As oil exploration begins, the destruction of an oasis community amounts to "a breaking off, like death, that nothing and no one could ever heal." The promise inherent in the creation of a city divided into Arab and American sectors provides the novel's most striking revelation: here not merely two cultures, but two ages, meet and stand apart. Alternatively amused and bewildered by the Americans and their technological novelties, the Arabs sense in their accommodation to modernity the betrayal of their own traditions. Highly recommended, if only for its cross-cultural insights." Library Journal, L.M. Lewis, Eastern Kentucky Univ., Richmond Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Originally published in Beirut in 1984, this multipage epic brings to life many of the political issues that have plagued the Mideast for most of this century. Set in an unnamed gulf country that could be Jordan sometime in the 1930s, the novel relates what happens to the bedouin inhabitants of the small oasis community of Wadi al-Uyoun when oil is discovered by Americans. Seen through the eyes of a large and varied cast of bedouin characters, the upheaval caused by the American colonization is shown in various manifestations, from the first contact with the strange foreigners ("Their smell could kill birds!" observes Miteb al-Hathal, who later leads a rebellion of Arab workers when the village of Harran has been made into an American port city) to confused and suspicious descriptions of the sinister "magic" tools brought by the Americanswhich are in fact bulldozers, automobiles, radios and telephones. The story unfolds at a stately pace over a timespan of many years and provides an endless stream of characters and events, each connected to the next by many threads of plot. Theroux's sensitive translation conveys the subtleties of ambiguity and nuance inherent to the Arab language and culture. Banned in several Mideast countries including Saudi Arabia, this is the first volume of a planned trilogy by a Paris-based Jordanian novelist who holds a law degree from the Sorbonne and a Ph.D. in oil economics from the University of Belgrade. Despite the Lawrence of Arabia setting, Munif writes from a unique vantage point; English-language readers have been given few opportunities before now to look at this situation through native eyes." Publishers Weekly, Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The only serious work of fiction that tries to show the effect of oil, Americans and the local oligarchy on a Gulf country." Edward W. Said

4.7 3

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 4.7 (3 comments)

`
h , August 25, 2012 (view all comments by h)
Americans are quite insular when it comes to their reading habits. We read few novels in translation, far fewer when the original language is Arabic. I admit to having read only a few. And this is a spectacular one, especially as it's even more relevant now than it was when it was first published in the 80s. It's set in the first oil era, when US & other corporations rushed in to extract crude while exploiting and destroying social and environmental systems. Of course, this is an era we're still in. While deeply political, this isn't propagandistic. It's rich in symbolism and stories of family struggles. Let this be your first Arabic novel.

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Julia PDX , April 03, 2012 (view all comments by Julia PDX)
I was assigned this book in a college course almost a decade ago. Rediscovering it in 2012 was a pleasure. Muniif's narrative is engrossing and illuminates the interactions between people with varying levels of privilege and power.

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shamrockcandle , October 28, 2007 (view all comments by shamrockcandle)
Wadi al-Uyoun was an oasis amid desert land, an asylum for those who chose to cross the scalding sand dunes of Saudi Arabia in the 1930s. This historical fiction book, Cities of Salt by Abdelrahman Munif, provides a native prospective on issues that currently plague the world. This book aids Americans in their odyssey to understand cultural idiosyncrasies and customs from the Middle East. Every person who expends any amount of oil should read and ponder upon this book. Cities of Salt has a strong plot that lures readers in with characters and events that seem almost palpable. Throughout the book, readers will want to jump in to defend their favorite character’s reputation, help make peace between old friends, and mourn the unfortunate deaths of the good men who shape the village. Reading Cities of Salt would be a valuable investment of time for anyone who uses oil or is interested in current and previous international affairs. Cities of Salt is an enjoyable journey into a past time with an extraordinary civilization.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780394755267
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
07/17/1989
Publisher:
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
Series info:
Vintage International
Pages:
640
Height:
1.37IN
Width:
5.38IN
Thickness:
1.25
Number of Units:
1
Copyright Year:
1989
Series Volume:
v. 28, no. 12
UPC Code:
2800394755269
Author:
Abdelrahman Munif
Translator:
Peter Theroux
Editor:
Erroll McDonald
Media Run Time:
B
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Subject:
General Fiction

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