Rave reviews accompanied the publication of this novel and with good reason. Fearing her son may be killed on the frontline and dreading the knock of the notifiers on her front door, an Israeli mother flees her home and journeys to Galilee. Caught up in this epic story are Grossman's own feelings about the war, the many who have died and what it means to live in the state of Israel today. Brilliant stuff.
From Elif Shafak, acclaimed author of The Bastard of Istanbul, comes another haunting, vivid tale of the relationship between rapidly modernising but still deeply traditional Turkey, and the liberal (overly-liberal?) ways of Western Europe. Leaving her twin sister behind, Pembe leaves Turkey for love - following her husband Adem to London. There the Topraks hope to make new lives for themselves and their children. Yet, no matter how far they travel, the traditions and beliefs the Topraks left behind stay with them - carried in the blood.
Written on clay tablets over four thousand years old, this is the world's oldest epic describing the adventures of Gilgamesh and his search for the secret to immortality.
The third novel by Zoe Ferraris to feature the beautiful and brilliant detective Katya Hijazi, as she pursues a psychopathic killer through modern day Jeddah. Ferraris's forensic thrillers are brought to be life by her psychological insight and realistic sense of place, from the shanti towns to the bourgeois salons of Saudi's second largest city.
A powerful, life-affirming novel about a censored writer living in Middle Eastern dictatorship. As the crowds prepare for a parade Fathi tries to make his way about the city as on any normal day - an individual so a traitor. This is a personal, urgent, funny and aggrieved novel written by a brilliant Syrian novelist, now living and writing in exile.
Dave Egger's (McSweeny's, What is the What, Zeitoun) new novel, finally released in the UK, has been well worth the wait. Set in Saudi Arabia, as a lonely American Businessman tries desperately to hold his family together as the financial world he once mastered collapses around him. Another stunning complement to this young American author's compelling series of books that reflect our times.
A rich and colourful novel set in a house where the family of Aqa Jaan have lived for generations. A Persian family caught between the old world and the new, their lives change beyond recognition with the fall of the Shah and the return of the Ayatollah.
The story of a normal eight year old girl, growing up in a village outside Beirut in the 1980s. Her life will change beyond recognition, however, because Israeli troops are moving closer and she can already hear the sounds of gunfire. A heart-breaking book which brings a distant conflict to life and gives it the face of an innocent little girl.
Ahmed, growing up in a small village in Saudi Arabia, struggles to maintain a balanced relationship with his tribe, Islam, his family ties and his yearning for modernity and the city. Not only a coming of age story, but Ahmed Abodehman describes the difficulties for both the boy and his country in their attempts to move forwards without destroying their past.
One of the first mainstream novels to explore life in post 1948 Palestine. Harrowing, at times excessively so, and often disappointingly Anglo-American in its style, it is however a beautifully written family saga which sheds a much needed light on the everyday life of Palestinians.
A light-hearted novel about a set of upper-class Saudi Arabian girls torn between modernity and strict cultural traditions. Offers a realistic and human insight into the women of this closed Middle Eastern world.
An entertaining, somewhat ridiculous mystery set in the streets of Istanbul, where a Turkish ex-fighter pilot must track down the missing son of a Russian nobleman.
Set in 17th century Iran, a village girl thrown into servitude by her father's death becomes a talented Persian carpet designer until a reckless act threatens her with disgrace. A passionate, evocative story about the search for happiness and love.
Set in 1915 in an idyllic town in Anatolia, Arslan's family saga takes a violent and dismal turn as she describes the horrors of the Armenian genocide. Engaging and informative.
Long but always gripping novel set in central Anatolia as the calamity of the Greek invasion and establishment of the Turkish state ripped apart a small town where Christian and Muslim had lived together in peace for centuries. Recommended.
James Clavell brings his usual epic, entertaining style to a story of the Iranian revolution. A team of pilots is caught up in the violence and confusion of the moment, caught between their loyalties to Iran and their duty. A 1000-page novel covering danger, romance and international political intrigue.
An emotional yet enthralling novel about the meaning of home, it tells the story of the stubborn and independent Maryam who fights for a different future than the one her traditional Iranian father, a general in the Shah's army, has imagined for her. She will pay dearly for this rebellion and forced into exile from both her past and her homeland, she will lose part of her soul.
Zari and her husband live in Southern Iran during the British occupation, struggling to uphold their way of life and protect their family from corruption. A powerful and emotional novel that evokes traditional Iran and exposes the devastating impact of colonisation.
A passionate novel about womanhood among the desert tribes of the Old Testament, Anita Diamant retells the grief-stricken story of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah mentioned briefly in the Book of Genesis.
A collection of poems which celebrate the desert from pre-Islamic songs to Coleridge."Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,And waste its sweetness on the desert air."
Poems selected by Ates Orga celebrating Istanbul with a foreword by Jason Goodwin."That is no country for old men. The young,In one another's arms, birds in the trees,- Those dying generations - at their song."
A selection of poetry at the heart of Arabic culture from 600 until 1,000 AD. "If a man keeps his honour free from the slightest stain,Then any robe he cloaks himself in is beautiful to see."
One in the series of small, hardback poetry books from Everyman, this beautifully-produced collection of Persian poems includes the work of Rumi, Omar and Hafez.