Arabia Books

The Calligrapher's Secret


by Rafik Schami

From the author of The Dark Side of Love comes Rafik Schami's latest novel The Calligrapher's Secret. Hamid Farsi is an acclaimed master of calligraphy who schemes for radical reform. His wife, Nura, is ignorant of his plans and knows only his cold avaricious side. No wonder she feels flattered by the attentions of his amusing, lively young apprentice. And so begins a passionate love story - the love of a Muslim woman and a Christian man.

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Price: £7.99

The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist


by Emile Habiby

Named as one of the top ten novels set in the Arab World by The Guardian, 2010. A novel that imitates the classic tale of optimism, Candide's Voltaire.

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Price: £6.41

East Winds, West Winds


by Mahdi Issa al-Saqr

A novel of life in the British-run oilfields of Iraq in the middle of the twentieth century. Mahdi Issa Al-Saqr has been named as Iraqi fiction’s ‘pioneering author’ by Banipal. NEW - In store now at the bookHaus

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Price: £9.99

The Scents of Marie-Claire


by Habib Selmi

Shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2009. Seductive, erotic and bubbling with the most minute details, The Scents of Marie-Claire, set in Paris, tells of the extraordinary relationship between the Tunisian-born narrator and the French Marie-Claire.

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Price: £6.99

Cairo Swan Song

A Modern Arabic Novel from Egypt
by Mekkawi Said

Cairo, Mother of the World, embraces millions—but some of her children make their home in the streets, junked up and living in the shadows of wealth, among the monuments that the tourists flock to see. Mustafa, a former student radical who never believed in the slogans, sets out to tell their story, but he has to rely on the help of his American girlfriend, Marcia, who he is not sure he can trust.

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Price: £7.19