A riveting and revealing tale of an Egypt caught between tradition
and modernity, multiculturalism and nationalism, oppression and
freedom. Cairo 1925, Haret al-Yahud, the old Jewish Quarter.
Esther, a beautiful young woman believed to be possessed by demons,
longs to give birth after seven blissful years of marriage. Her
husband, blind since childhood, does not object when, in her effort
to conceive, she participates in Muslim zar rituals. Zohar, the
novel's narrator, comes into the world, but because his mother's
breasts are dry, he is nursed by a Muslim peasant-also believed to
be possessed-who has just given birth to a girl, Masreya. Suckled
at the same breasts and united by a rabbi's amulet, the milk-twins
will be consumed by a passionate, earth-shaking love. Part
fantastical fable, part realistic history, A Land Like You draws on
ethno-psychiatrist Tobie Nathan's deep knowledge of North African
folk beliefs to create a glittering tapestry in which spirit
possession and religious mysticism exist side by side with sober
facts about the British occupation of Egypt and the rise of the
Muslim Brotherhood and the Free Officers' Movement. Historical
figures such as Gamel Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat, and King Farouk
mingle with Nathan's fictional characters in this engaging story.
General
Imprint: |
Seagull Books London Ltd
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Series: |
The Africa List |
Release date: |
December 2020 |
First published: |
2020 |
Authors: |
Tobie Nathan
|
Translators: |
Joyce Zonana
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 30mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards
|
Pages: |
340 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-85742-788-5 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
General & literary fiction >
Modern fiction
Promotions
|
LSN: |
0-85742-788-1 |
Barcode: |
9780857427885 |
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