Synopses & Reviews
A bestseller throughout the Arab world, a tribute to sex, eroticism, language and liberty,
The Proof of the Honey is a superb celebration of female pleasure. A Syrian scholar working in Paris is invited to contribute to a conference on the subject of classic erotic literature in Arabic. The invitation provides occasion for her to evoke memories from her own life, to exult in her personal liberty, her lovers, her desires, and to revisit moments of shared intimacy with other women as they discuss life, love, and sexual desire.
Far more than an erotic novel, The Proof of the Honey is a surprising and illuminating voyage into the history of Arabic literature. Borrowing inspiration from The Thousand and One Nights, erudite asides are woven into the fabric of the protagonist's story and the stories of her lovers. Affirming that "Arabic is the language of sex," and making desire the source of her own personal liberty, Al Neimi has written a stirring novel about the place afforded sex in modern Arabic society and its relationship to the long, rich tradition of Arabic erotica.
Review
"Employing an elegant and graceful line of argument-that if the act of sex is legitimate than all words used to describe the act can be no less so-this compelling novel renders homage to both love and language."
-L'intelligent
"A wholesome, beautiful, generous book of incredible erudition."
-Yasmina Khadra, author of The Attack
"An unprecedented success throughout the Arab world."
-Le Nouvel Observateur
"Salwa Al Neimi [is] the most audacious among contemporary Arab novelists."
- Al Jazeera
"Al Neimi announces the end of a taboo in the Arab world: that of sex!"
- Reuters
Synopsis
Affirming that Arabic is the language of sex, Al Neimi has written a stirringnovel about the place afforded sex in modern Arabic society.