Moustadraf's piercing 14 stories here, which challenge patriarchal expectations of gender and sexuality, barely fill 100 pages. Award-winning translator and professor Alice Guthrie enhances that brevity with extensive literary and historical context, providing a meaningful conduit to the work of ‘a gifted maverick writer in her ascendency.’” —Shelf Awareness, starred review
“[Moustadraf’s] style is unflinching, whether she’s dissecting the impact of patriarchal culture on women and children or excoriating corruption in the healthcare system… Moustadraf’s work is, perhaps, most important for her determination to shine a light on aspects of her society that most people would prefer to ignore.” —Kirkus
“The characters found within treat themselves badly, treat each other worse, and grapple with a hostile or indifferent society; via Moustadraf’s empathic rendering, though, their lives and circumstances come into focus and are often moving—but never losing that harrowing edge.” —Words Without Borders
“How precious, how raw and mordant [Moustadraf’s] voice is, poised with its serrated edge to slice through the obfuscations and lies of a patriarchy buttressed by institutionalized religion.” —Asymptote
"Malika Moustadraf’s short stories, elegantly translated in Alice Guthrie’s raw prose, draw the reader into tender inner lives—from a breastfeeding mother flirting on the internet, to an intersex sex worker, to a young man grappling with desire itself. The writing here is taut, the juxtapositions unexpected, the observations unflinching. Moustadraf’s voice guides the reader into full-blooded worlds of humor and disharmony.” —Selma Dabbagh, author of Out of It
“At once tender and cruel, insolent and profound, Malika Moustadraf is an exceptional and courageous short story writer who confronts the harshest realities of her country, Morocco. Her characters, with all their humor and complexity, will stay with you for a long time.” —Leïla Slimani, author of In the Country of Others
“Blood Feast is a dark, edgy, and compelling collection from an author who should be celebrated internationally. Malika Moustadraf is a master at describing the hidden desires, lurking ferocity, sharp beauty, and glinting pain of her characters, so many of whom toil and fight unseen and unheard by wider society. In these gritty (and witty) stories, the complexity of today’s world is brought into clean focus, with all its savagery and all its contingent, saving graces. Moustadraf’s world is one of survivors and pugilists, strivers and grifters, dreamers and hustlers all hungry to be somewhere or something or someone else. The author writes their lives with poignancy and poetic grace.” —Bidisha, author of The Future of Serious Art
“Haunting, caustic, and unflinching, this hypnotizing collection of stories is like being gifted a secret box of dark, complex chocolates.” —Saleem Haddad, author of Guapa
"This complete collection of short stories from the late Malika Moustadraf features Moroccans who are sometimes redeemable and sometimes not. These clever stories are about sexuality and gender norms, traditions and contradictions, the absence of choice, and all of them are properly short, to readers’ delight. Contemplative and even jocular, Blood Feast is a window into a niche Arab culture." —Mary Wahlmeier Bracciano, Raven Book Store
2021-12-24
The complete works of a Moroccan writer and important figure in world literature.
In “The Ruse,” a woman refuses to let a good marriage offer fall apart simply because her daughter isn’t a virgin. In “Delusion,” a man sells loose cigarettes on a street corner while waiting for his sister who married a Frenchman to deliver him from squalor. In “A Woman in Love, A Woman Defeated,” the protagonist consults a seer in hopes of luring her husband back home. These stories revolve around characters who live precariously—because of poverty, because of abuse, because of illness, because of their gender. Moustadraf was only 37 when she died in 2006, but she had already established herself as a vital feminist voice in Morocco. Her style is unflinching, whether she’s dissecting the impact of patriarchal culture on women and children or excoriating corruption in the health care system. Almost all of the men in these stories are monstrous, outside and in. They are physically repulsive, and their hatred of women is a defining feature of their personalities. These pieces are very short, and they function more as vignettes and character studies than fully developed narratives. Moustadraf’s work is, perhaps, most important for her determination to shine a light on aspects of her society that most people would prefer to ignore. In terms of craft, “Death” is the standout story. In it, a woman serves a delicious dinner to her seemingly affluent family. While her children goof around and her husband talks about football, she’s distracted by TV. Reports of violence in Gaza, Iraq, and Lebanon punctuate this scene of domestic happiness, and the narrator decides that neither the news presenter’s red lipstick nor her attempts to look sad look good on her.
This collection makes a unique perspective on Moroccan culture accessible to Anglophone readers.
Narrators Amin El Gamal and Lameece Issaq work together to bring to life the many stories in this collection, which is a classic of feminist Moroccan literature. Through a wide cast of characters—from mothers and rebellious daughters to a man with a severe illness—listeners are treated to a wide swath of issues facing Moroccan society. El Gamal maximizes the dramatic dialogue between the female characters in a lively and engaging way that draws listeners into the stories. Issaq brings a deep baritone to the stories featuring men. Fans of world literature will appreciate this listening experience, which may be their introduction to this author. M.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
