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In the Country of Men - by  Hisham Matar (Paperback) - 1 of 1

In the Country of Men - by Hisham Matar (Paperback)

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About this item

Highlights

  • Libya, 1979.
  • About the Author: Hisham Matar was born in 1970 in New York City to Libyan parents and spent his childhood in Tripoli and Cairo.
  • 272 Pages
  • Fiction + Literature Genres, Literary

Description



About the Book



Shortlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize, Matar's debut novel tracks the effects of Libyan strongman Khadafy's 1969 September revolution on the el-Dawani family, as seen by nine-year-old Suleiman, who narrates as an adult.



Book Synopsis



Libya, 1979. Nine-year-old Suleiman's days are circumscribed by the narrow rituals of childhood: outings to the ruins surrounding Tripoli, games with friends played under the burning sun, exotic gifts from his father's constant business trips abroad. But his nights have come to revolve around his mother's increasingly disturbing bedside stories full of old family bitterness. And then one day Suleiman sees his father across the square of a busy marketplace, his face wrapped in a pair of dark sunglasses. Wasn't he supposed to be away on business yet again? Why is he going into that strange building with the green shutters? Why did he lie?

Suleiman is soon caught up in a world he cannot hope to understand--where the sound of the telephone ringing becomes a portent of grave danger; where his mother frantically burns his father's cherished books; where a stranger full of sinister questions sits outside in a parked car all day; where his best friend's father can disappear overnight, next to be seen publicly interrogated on state television.

In the Country of Men is a stunning depiction of a child confronted with the private fallout of a public nightmare. But above all, it is a debut of rare insight and literary grace.



Review Quotes




"A poetic and powerful account ... resonant with the details of a Libyan childhood."--Wall Street Journal

"Graceful.... Quietly, but with the insistence of a tolling bell, Matar lays bare for Suleiman both public and private worlds of overlapping male power, role models, standards and styles. At its intimate center, the novel calibrates the boy's shifting, decreasingly innocent perspective as he himself becomes implicated by cruelty and betrayal."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Matar is a careful, controlled writer. His restraint--the spaces and the light between his words --make reading his work a physical as well as an emotional experience."--Los Angeles Times

"Moving ... complex .... [Readers will] be haunted by Suleiman, his fate and his eventual awakening to the complexities of adult relationships."--Seattle Times

"Matar writes in a voice that shifts gracefully between the adult exile looking back and the young boy experiencing these events through his limited, confused point of view.... This sad, beautiful novel captures the universal tragedy of children caught in their parents' terrors."--Washington Post Book World

"A remarkably perceptive and affecting portrait of a young boy's premature political awakening.... [Matar] expertly builds an atmosphere of palpable tension, and though this novel never delves directly into politics, the menacing pall cast by political tyranny looms over the proceedings."--Miami Herald



About the Author



Hisham Matar was born in 1970 in New York City to Libyan parents and spent his childhood in Tripoli and Cairo. He lives in London and is currently at work on his second novel.
Dimensions (Overall): 8.1 Inches (H) x 5.5 Inches (W) x .7 Inches (D)
Weight: .45 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Sub-Genre: Literary
Genre: Fiction + Literature Genres
Number of Pages: 272
Publisher: Random House Trade
Format: Paperback
Author: Hisham Matar
Language: English
Street Date: February 26, 2008
TCIN: 77028742
UPC: 9780385340434
Item Number (DPCI): 247-28-8996
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
If the item details aren’t accurate or complete, we want to know about it.

Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 0.7 inches length x 5.5 inches width x 8.1 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.45 pounds
We regret that this item cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.
This item cannot be shipped to the following locations: American Samoa (see also separate entry under AS), Guam (see also separate entry under GU), Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico (see also separate entry under PR), United States Minor Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands, U.S., APO/FPO, Alaska, Hawaii

Return details

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Q: What themes are explored in the novel?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 19 days ago
  • A: The novel explores themes of childhood innocence, political tyranny, betrayal, and the complexities of adult relationships.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 19 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: What historical event impacts the el-Dawani family?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 19 days ago
  • A: The effects of Libyan strongman Khadafy's September revolution significantly impact the el-Dawani family.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 19 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: What type of stories does Suleiman's mother tell him?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 19 days ago
  • A: Suleiman's mother tells him disturbing bedtime stories filled with old family bitterness and tensions.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 19 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: In what year is the story set?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 19 days ago
  • A: The story is set in Libya during the year 1979, amidst political unrest.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 19 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: Who narrates the story in the novel?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 19 days ago
  • A: The story is narrated by nine-year-old Suleiman, reflecting on his childhood experiences.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 19 days ago
    Ai generated

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