The Bamboo Stalk by Saud Alsanousi

The Bamboo Stalk by Saud Alsanousi

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The Bamboo Stalk by Saud Alsanousi

Josephine escapes poverty by coming to Kuwait from the Philippines to work as a maid, where she meets Rashid, an idealistic only son with literary aspirations.

Josephine, with all the wide-eyed naivety of youth, believes she has found true love. But when she becomes pregnant, and with the rumble of war growing ever louder, Rashid bows to family and social pressure and sends her back home with her baby son, Jos. Brought up struggling with his dual identity, Jos clings to the hope of returning to his father's country when he is 18. He is ill prepared to plunge headfirst into a world where the fear of tyrants and dictators is nothing compared to the fear of what will people say. And with a Filipino face, a Kuwaiti passport, an Arab surname, and a Christian first name, will his father's country welcome him?

The Bamboo Stalk takes an unflinching look at the lives of foreign workers in Arab countries and confronts the universal problems of identity, race, and religion.

Ambitious, cultivated and brave Financial Times Alsanousi is a voice of conscience -- Boyd Tonkin The Independent I was captivated from the first chapterWe need such literature. Alsanousi is an important emerging literary voice Susan Abulhawa, author of Mornings in Jenin Great wit and lightness of touch. Truly cosmopolitan and deeply humane -- Robin Yassin-Kabab, author of The Road from Damascus The National Engrossing, political and heartfelt -- Bidisha A bold, heart-felt indictment against racism in Arab society. A narrative with power and resonance, which captivates the reader with its artful simplicity and its endearing protagonist -- Leila Aboulela, prize-winning author of Lyrics Alley

Kuwaiti author and journalist Saud Alsanousi's work has appeared in Al-Watan newspaper and Al-Arabi. Jonathan Wright lives in Kuwait City and writes for Al-Qabas newspaper. He has translated several novels, two of which were awarded the 2013 Banipal Award for Arabic Literary Translation and the 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.

SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9789927101779
ISBN 10 9927101775
Title The Bamboo Stalk
Author Saud Alsanousi
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Hardback
Publisher Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing
Year published 2015-04-23
Number of pages 384
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.