Read Around Africa Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Africa.
Best books from Africa (1154)
271.
The Republic of False Truths by Alaa Al Aswany EN
EgyptDescription:
'Al Aswany is a voice worth hearing from a country of which we know far too little.' - Sunday Times
272.
Headscarves and Hymens : Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution by Mona Eltahawy EN
Description:
"Drawing on her years as a campaigner and commentator on women's issues in the Middle East, [Eltahawy] explains that since the Arab Spring began, women in the Arab world have had two revolutions to undertake: one fought with men against oppressive regimes, and another fought against an entire political and economic system that treats women in countries from Yemen and Saudi Arabia to Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya as second-class citizens ... Her book is a plea for outrage and action on their behalf, confronting the 'toxic mix of culture and religion that few seem willing or able to disentangle lest... continue
273.
River Spirit by Leila Aboulela EN
Description:
The spellbinding new novel from New York Times Notable Author and Caine Prize winner Leila Aboulela about an embattled young woman’s coming of age during the Mahdist War in 19th century Sudan. Leila Aboulela, hailed as “a versatile prose stylist” (New York Times) has also been praised by J.M. Coetzee, Ali Smith, and Ben Okri, among others, for her rich and nuanced novels depicting Islamic spiritual and political life. Her new novel is an enchanting narrative of the years leading up to the British conquest of Sudan in 1898, and a deeply human look at the tensions between Britain and Sudan, Chri... continue
274.
Call Me by Your Name : A Novel by André Aciman EN
Description:
The sudden and powerful attraction between a teenage boy and a summer guest at his parents' house on the Italian Riviera has a profound and lasting influence that will mark them both for a lifetime.
275.
Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela EN
Description:
Noveller. From the heat of Khartoum at the height of summer to the wintery streets of London, from the concrete high rises in the Gulf to the blustery coast in Aberdeen, this collection evokes the overlapping worlds of Africa, Britain and the Middle East
276.
Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz EN
Description:
Widely acclaimed as Naguib Mahfouz's best novel, Midaq Alley brings to life one of the hustling, teeming back alleys of Cairo in the 1940s. From Zaita the cripple-maker to Kirsha the hedonistic cafe owner, from Abbas the barber who mistakes greed for love to Hamida who sells her soul to escape the alley, from waiters and widows to politicians, pimps, and poets, the inhabitants of Midaq Alley vividly evoke Egypt's largest city as it teeters on the brink of change. Never has Nobel Prize-winner Mahfouz's talent for rich and luxurious storytelling been more evident than here, in his portrait of on... continue
277.
The Quarter by Naguib Mahfouz EN
Description:
Meet the people of Cairo's Gamaliya quarter. There is Nabqa, son of Adam the waterseller who can only speak truths; the beautiful and talented Tawhida who does not age with time; Ali Zaidan, the gambler, late to love; and Boss Saqr who stashes his money above the bath. A neighbourhood of demons, dancing and sweet halva, the quarter keeps quiet vigil over the secrets of all who live there. This collection by pre-eminent Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz was recently discovered among his old papers. Found with a slip of paper titled `for publishing 1994', they are published here for the first time.... continue
278.
Homo Irrealis : The Would-Be Man Who Might Have Been: Essays by André Aciman EN
Description:
"A new collection of essays on literary and cinematic themes"--
279.
Description:
Radwa and Shagar are two women born on the same day. Spectres alternates between their childhoods, their days at work, their married and unmarried lives, and the two books they are writing.
280.
The Committee by Sonallah Ibrahim EN
Description:
This wry take on Kafka’s novel The Trial revolves around its narrator’s attempts to petition successfully the elusive ruling body of his country, known simply as “the Committee.” Consequences for his actions range from the absurd to the hideous. Ibrahim offers an unbroken first-person narrative rendered in brief, crisp prose framed by a conspicuous absence of vivid imagery. Furthermore, the petitioner is a man without identity. The ideal antihero, he remains, as does his country, unnamed throughout the intricate plot with a locale suggestive of 1970s Cairo. The Committee pierces the inflammato... continue