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The shell : memoirs of a hidden observer (2008)

by Mustafa Khalifa

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23None976,545 (5)3
"...a Syrian political prisoner of conscience, an atheist mistaken for a radical Islamist - the worst kind of enemy of the state - who was locked up for 14 years without a trial. Shunned by his fellow inmates, Musa remains silent and mostly unspoken-to for the duration of his incarceration. A young film school graduate at the start, he is a defiant and stoic narrator, somehow able to pick out humor and irony in the shocking events and the characters he describes. Yet even the strongest personality cannot hold out under such brutal conditions forever..." - back cover.… (more)
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Though Khalifa’s attention to detail is exceptional, the unanticipated comedy of his discourse is often its most compelling suit. From the brief exchange Musa shares with a fellow prisoner after the latter party mistakes his toe for the lips of his wife, to the tale of a particularly aggressive guard’s acquisition of a new nickname at his own expense, each instance provides a needed reprieve, proving the most troubling of scenarios cannot hinder the spectrum of emotion. Khalifa’s masterful control of pace keeps these asides from trivializing the meat of his work, instead building toward an empathetic whole.

The Shell’s faults are few, though some of the text’s key characters can feel minimalized before there is an opportunity to become too attached. However, this periodic feeling does seem in line with the grizzly and fatalistic nature of The Shell’s primary setting. Despite this, the novel perseveres, conveying strength in humanity throughout its darkest depths.
 

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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Mustafa Khalifaprimary authorall editionscalculated
Starkey, PaulTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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"...a Syrian political prisoner of conscience, an atheist mistaken for a radical Islamist - the worst kind of enemy of the state - who was locked up for 14 years without a trial. Shunned by his fellow inmates, Musa remains silent and mostly unspoken-to for the duration of his incarceration. A young film school graduate at the start, he is a defiant and stoic narrator, somehow able to pick out humor and irony in the shocking events and the characters he describes. Yet even the strongest personality cannot hold out under such brutal conditions forever..." - back cover.

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The work of a modern-day Sozhenitsyn that exposes acts of violence and brutality committed by the Syrian regime. This compelling first novel is the astonishing story of a Syrian political prisoner of conscience atheist mistaken for a radical Islamist who was locked up for 13 years without trial in one of the most notorious prisons in the Middle East. The novel takes the form of a diary which Musa keeps in his head and then writes down upon his release. In Tadmur prison, the mood is naturally bleak and yet often very beautifully captured. The narrator, a young graduate, is defiant and stoical, and somehow able to pick out humor and irony in the shocking events and characters he describes. Considered by many in the Arab world to be a symbol of the Syrian opposition in the current civil war, this novel provides an essential perspective on the tragedy the Syrian people are living through.
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