The best translated Arabic novels from Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco

In recent years, contemporary literature has become richer thanks to modern Arabic authors, whose works have reached new audiences through English translations.

This three-part series highlights the best modern Arabic novels from various regions, showcasing the narratives and cultural insights these writers offer.

The best translated Arabic Novels from Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Sudan and Saudi-Arabia

• Literature

byGerald Drißner

November 24, 2020

The best translated Arabic novels from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine

• Literature

byGerald Drißner

September 30, 2020

In Part Two, we look at literary gems from Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, revealing their unique perspectives and storytelling styles that reflect their societies. These novels, which explore personal struggles and identity in the diaspora, will engage readers and deepen their understanding of modern Arabic literature.

Authors from EGYPT

Hunger

جوع

by Mohamed El Bisatie (محمد البساطي), Egypt

The book is a detailed account of the ordinary lives of those at the very bottom of society, sufferers of continuous hunger. Through a detached yet intimate portrait of the day-to-day lives, the Egyptian author explores how, despite their sufferings, these neglected people can still reflect on human existence and ask questions about their surroundings.

You can get the Arabic version on almost any web store, for example, Neelwafurat.

Brooklyn Heights

بروكلين هايتس

by Miral-al-Tahawy (ميرال الطحاوي), Egypt

Brooklyn Heights tells the story of the New York’s Arab immigrants and those who live among them through the eyes of the female narrator.

By contrasting her experiences in her chosen home, America, and her homeland Egypt, the author reveals the problematic relationship between East and West.

Brooklyn Heights: An Egyptian Novel

$14.36

Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge

عناق عند جسر بروكلين

by Ezzedine Choukri Fishere (عزالدين شكري فشير ), Egypt

On the eve of Salma’s twenty-first birthday, scattered friends and family converge on New York for a celebration organized by Darwish, her obstinate grandfather. Each guest’s journey to this fated gathering takes on an unexpected significance, as they find themselves revisiting the choices they have made in life, and rethinking their relationships with one another and the country in which they live.

Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge: A Novel (Hoopoe Fiction)

$13.46 -$9.74 $3.72

Mercury (also: Otared)

عطارد

by Mohamed Rabie (محمد ربيع ), Egypt

2025: fourteen years after the failed revolution, Egypt is invaded once more. As traumatized Egyptians eke out a feral existence in Cairo’s dusty downtown, former cop Ahmed Otared joins a group of fellow officers seeking Egypt’s liberation through the barrel of a gun.

As Cairo becomes a foul cauldron of drugs, sex, and senseless violence, Otared finally understands his country’s fate. In this unflinching and grisly novel, Mohammad Rabie envisages a grim future for Egypt, where death is the only certainty.

عطارد

$6.00

Otared: A Novel (Hoopoe Fiction)

$17.95 -$1.3 $16.65

In the Spider’s Room

في غرفة العنكبوت

by Mohammed Abdel Nabi (محمد عبد النبي), Egypt

Hani was out for an evening stroll near Cairo’s Tahrir Square when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. An informant had identified him, and he was thrown into the back of a police truck.

There began a seven-month nightmare as he was swept up, along with fifty other men, in the infamous “Queen Boat” affair in 2001 that targeted Egypt’s gay community.

In the Spider's Room: A Novel (Hoopoe Fiction)

$10.73 -$3.99 $6.74

في غرفة العنكبوت in the spider room

$18.00

Sunset Oasis

واحة الغروب

by Bahaa Taher (بهاء طاهر), Egypt

Sunset Oasis is an enthralling story of mystery and frustrated passions set against the backdrop of an exotic locale in the late 1800s. When Mahmoud, a disgraced Egyptian officer, is posted to the remote desert town of Siwa, his Irish wife insists on accompanying him, to pursue the secrets of Alexander the Great. Neither is prepared for the stultifying heat, the hostility of the townspeople, or the astonishing and disturbing events that befall them in the dreamlike other-worldliness of the Sunset Oasis.

Authors from TUNISIA

The Scents of Marie Claire

روائح ماري كلير

by Habib Selmi (الحبيب السالمي), Tunisia

This novel from one of Tunisia’s leading writers, the first of his works to be translated into English, narrates a love story in all its stages, in all its glorious and inglorious details. Moment by moment we become acquainted with the morning rituals, the desires of the flesh, the turbulence of the spirit, and even a few unattractive personal habits.

It is a journey that takes us inside the nuances of what passes between two lovers, from the first glances of attraction to the final words of anger.

روائح ماري كلير

$10.08

Authors from MOROCCO

A Rare Blue Bird Flies with Me

طائر أزرق نادر يحلق معي

by Youssef Fadhel (يوسف فاضل), Morocco

Aziz is a pilot at the air force base who loves flying and forgets his cares when he is up in the air. It is flying that he thinks of on his wedding night, rather his 16-year-old bride, Zina, waiting in the adjoining room.

The following morning, he leaves his house at the crack of dawn, not to return for 18 years.

A Rare Blue Bird Flies with Me: A Novel (Hoopoe Fiction)

$15.26 -$1.69 $13.57

The Arch and the Butterfly

القوس والفراشة

by Mohammed Achaari (محمد الأشعري), Morocco

The Arch and the Butterfly is a journey in the life of a left wing Moroccan writer, Yousef, whose past life, political beliefs and faith in his own principles are shaken by a letter he receives one day.

The Arch and the Butterfly

$9.96

You can get the Arabic version on almost any web store, for example, Neelwafurat.

My Tormentor (My Torturess)

معذبتي

by Bensalem Himmich (بنسالم حميش), Morocco

In a gripping novel, whose narrative style is a blend of Kafka and One Thousand and One Nights, Himmich imagines an innocent man’s experience of extraordinary rendition in an American prison.

During his captivity, the protagonist is subjected to interrogation and torture by both Arabs and foreigners and yet, against all odds, the author manages to find some hope in an otherwise desperate situation.

• Literature

The best translated Arabic Novels from Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Sudan and Saudi-Arabia

Many modern Arabic novels have recently been translated into English. In this article, we highlight works from Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia.

byGerald Drißner

5 min

• Literature

The best translated Arabic novels from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine

In recent years many outstanding modern Arabic novels were translated into English. Part 1: authors from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine.

byGerald Drißner

6 min