Page 1 45 Original Arabic title: Mudun bila nakhil 100pp. Pbk

Fiction in Paperback
Tarek Eltayeb
Translated by
Cities without Palms
Kareem James Palmer-Zeid
The debut novel from a rising Sudanese writer
In a desperate attempt to save his mother and two sisters from famine and
disease, a young man leaves his native village in Sudan and sets out alone
to seek work in the city. This is the beginning of Hamza’s long journey. Hunger and destitution lead him ever farther from his home: first from Sudan to
Egypt, where the lack of work forces him to join a band of smugglers, and
finally from Egypt to Europe—Italy, France, Holland—where he experiences
first-hand the harsh world of migrant laborers and the bitter realities of life
as an illegal immigrant. Tarek Eltayeb’s first novel offers an uncompromising
depiction of poverty in both the developed and the developing world. With
its simple yet elegant style, Cities without Palms tells of a tragic human life
punctuated by moments of true joy.
‘‘
Once started it is difficult to put down. It is sensational, original, and altogether a magnificent
literary debut.”—Banipal
By same 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. He is
the author of three novels as well as short stories
and poetry.
Kareem James Palmer-Zeid is the translator of Tarek
Eltayeb’s The Palm House (AUC Press, 2011). He
was runner-up in the 2010 Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation for his
translation of Cities without Palms.
Original Arabic title: Mudun bila nakhil
100pp. Pbk. October.
978-977-416-734-8. LE75. World.
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