That Smell & Notes from Prison - Couverture souple

Ibrahim, Sonallah

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0811220362 ISBN 13 : 9780811220361

Editeur : New Directions Publishing Corporation, 2013

Synopsis

That Smell is Sonallah Ibrahim's modernist masterpiece and one of the most influential novels written in Arabic since WWII. Composed after a five-year term in prison, the semi-autobiographical story follows a recently released political prisoner as he wanders through Cairo, adrift in his native city. Living under house arrest, he tries to write of his tortuous experience, but instead smokes, spies on the neighbors, visits old lovers, and marvels at Egypt's new consumer culture. Published in 1966, That Smell was immediately banned and the print-run confiscated. The original, uncensored version did not appear in Egypt for another twenty years.

For this edition, translator Robyn Creswell has also included an annotated selection of the author's Notes from Prison, Ibrahim's prison diaries--a personal archive comprising hundreds of handwritten notes copied onto Bafra-brand cigarette papers and smuggled out of jail. These stark, intense writings shed unexpected light on the sources and motives of Ibrahim's groundbreaking novel. Also included in this edition is Ibrahim's celebrated essay about the writing and reception of That Smell.

A propos du livre

À propos des auteurs

Born in Cairo in 1937, Sonallah Ibrahim studied law at Cairo University and was imprisoned in 1959 for his political activities. After his release he spent several years abroad and returned in 1974 to Cairo, where he has lived ever since. In 2004 he was awarded -- and pointedly declined -- the Egyptian government's prestigious Novelist of the Year prize.

A critic, translator, and scholar, Robyn Creswell is currently the poetry editor for the Paris Review and assistant professor of comparative literature at Yale.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: New Directions Publishing Corporation
• Date d'édition: 2013
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0811220362
• ISBN 13: 9780811220361
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 120
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible