The Bamboo Stalk
About the book
The son of a Filipina and a Kuwaiti man searches for belonging between families, languages and social hierarchies.
Original title: ساق البامبو (Saq al-bambu)
Asia · A READING GUIDE
Kuwait
Kuwaiti novelist Saud Alsanousi received the International Prize for Arabic Fiction for The Bamboo Stalk. The book explores migrant labour, ancestry and exclusion. Mai Al-Nakib introduces English-language stories and an expansive family history. Bothayna Al-Essa, Ismail Fahad Ismail and Taleb Alrefai broaden the route through censorship, war and migrant labour.
WHERE TO START
- The Bamboo StalkSaud Alsanousi
- The Hidden Light of ObjectsMai Al-Nakib
- The Book Censor’s LibraryBothayna Al-Essa
Books to begin with
An editorial selection · not rankedNo matches. Try another language or search term.
An Unlasting Home
About the book
A philosophy lecturer accused of blasphemy confronts the history of three generations of women in her family.
The Book Censor’s Library
About the book
A censor discovers the forbidden pleasure of reading and enters a labyrinth of books and resistance.
Original title: حارس سطح العالم
The Old Woman and the River
About the book
Um Qasem returns to a war-damaged Iraqi village and tries to restore water and life to abandoned land.
Original title: السبيليات
Shadow of the Sun
About the book
An Egyptian teacher travels to Kuwait seeking work and enters a world of migrant exploitation.
Original title: ظل الشمس
Mama Hissa’s Mice
About the book
The occupation of Kuwait and growing sectarian divisions test three boys’ friendship.
All That I Want to Forget
About the book
Fatima longs for poetry, learning and love, but her family imposes a future upon her.
Context and sources
Sources on authors and their connections to this country. Specific edition details appear beside each book. Polish and English originals are not labelled as translations.
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