Nights of Musk

By Haggag Hassan Oddoul

by (136pp, hardbound, ISBN , £14.99)

Haggag Oddoul’s work documents the personal tragedy of individuals caught up in massive social transformation and casts a nostalgic light on the heritage and way of life of the Nubians: their rhythmic dancing, their beautiful women, the lively humor of their elders, and the enormous centrality of their traditions and the spirits with which they shared the environment.

Two stories in this collection ('Zeinab Uburty' and 'Nights of Musk') offer a bucolic insight into a world that has disappeared forever, while two other stories ('Adila, Grandmother' and 'The River People' document the departure of the men, while the women are left behind, and the second and third generations have only their grandmother's tales and pidgin Arabic to remind them of their heritage.

Haggag Hassan Oddoul was born in Alexandria in 1944 to parents who had left their native village in Nubia.  He has written short stories, novels, and plays. 'Nights of Musk' was awarded the State Prize for Short Stories in 1990.