The Handsome Jew
About the book
The love between a Jewish boy and a Muslim girl challenges a community’s religious boundaries.
Original title: اليهودي الحالي (Al-Yahudi al-Hali)
Asia · A READING GUIDE
Yemen
Ali al-Muqri is a Yemeni novelist whose fiction addresses social and religious taboos. The Handsome Jew follows a love that crosses religious boundaries. Wajdi Al-Ahdal and Zayd Mutee' Dammaj add novels about a disappearance and the historical practice of hostage-taking. Habib Abdulrab Sarori leads onward into modern Yemen's ideological transformations.
WHERE TO START
- The Handsome JewAli al-Muqri
- A Land without JasmineWajdi Al-Ahdal
- The HostageZayd Mutee’ Dammaj
Books to begin with
An editorial selection · not rankedNo matches. Try another language or search term.
Hurma
About the book
A nameless heroine grows up in Sana’a, struggling for voice and agency under religious restrictions.
Original title: حرمة
A Land without Jasmine
About the book
A Sana’a student’s disappearance reveals violence and the conflicting perspectives of her community.
Original title: بلاد بلا سماء
The Hostage
About the book
A boy held hostage to guarantee his father’s political obedience serves in a Yemeni governor’s palace.
Original title: الرهينة
Suslov’s Daughter
About the book
An old attachment from communist Aden returns in a country transformed by religious radicalism.
Original title: ابنة سوسلوف
Adeni Incense
About the book
Multicultural Aden welcomes a French newcomer, but political change threatens its openness.
Five Days Untold
About the book
Young conscript Ziad tries to survive civil war and return to his family.
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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