The Palm House: A Modern Arabic Novel

by Tarek Eltayeb, Kareem James Abu-Zeid (Translator)

Overview

After coming to Vienna from Sudan to win a better life for himself, Hamza struggles to escape from the margins of society and the stigma of the immigrant. Following several years of hardship, his fortunes begin to change when he meets Sandra, a young Austrian woman, who shows him the Palm House. In this famous Viennese greenhouse, the frost of Hamza's heart begins to thaw, and he slowly opens himself to Sandra, revealing his bitter yet beautiful past in Sudan and beyond. This masterful novel draws on the 1001 Nights as well as Sudanese folk traditions, and demonstrates the remarkable power of storytelling to overcome even the most dire circumstances. Critically acclaimed across the Arab world, this novel can be read on its own, or as a sequel to Eltayeb's first novel, Cities without Palms (AUC Press, 2009).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617971617
Publisher:	American University in Cairo Press, The
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Tarek Eltayeb was born in Cairo in 1959, the son of Sudanese parents. Since 1984 he has lived in Austria, where he is currently a professor at the International Management Center of the University of Applied Sciences at Krems, Austria. He is the author of two novels as well as short stories and poetry. Kareem James Abu-Zeid has published translations of Arabic poetry in various journals, and is the translator of Tarek Eltayeb's Cities without Palms.