Abdelrahman Munif (1933–2004)
Author of Cities of Salt
About the Author
Series
Works by Abdelrahman Munif
حين تركنا الجسر 3 copies
أرض السواد 2 2 copies
Cities of Salt - Volume IV 2 copies
العراق: هوامش من التاريخ والمقاومة 2 copies
أرض السواد 3 1 copy
أسماء مستعارة 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- عبد الرحمن منيف
- Birthdate
- 1933-05-29
- Date of death
- 2004-01-24
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Baghdad University (law)
Cairo University (law)
University of Belgrade (PhD | Oil economics) - Occupations
- Oil industry
editor (al-Naft wa al-Tanmiyya / Oil and Development)
author - Short biography
- The son of a Saudi Arabian father, and an Iraqi mother, Mounif was born and brought up in Amman, Jordan, then moved in 1952 to study law in Iraq. His political activity while a student there, as a member of the emerging Arab Ba'ath party, cost him his residence and education in Baghdad. He was expelled from the country in 1955. From Baghdad, Mounif moved to Cairo during Nasser's pan-Arab nationalist drive and then, in 1958 to General Tito's Yugoslavia, where he got his doctorate degree in oil economics in 1961. He worked in the oil industry in Syria (1961-73), then moved to Lebanon to begin a career in Journalism. He moved to Iraq to be an editor of Oil And Development magazine from 1975-1981. He lived in France for five years and returned to Syria in 1986. He was 40 before he began writing novels. He was married with four children.
- Nationality
- Jordan (birth)
Saudi Arabia (stripped of citizenship for political reasons in 1963) - Places of residence
- Amman, Jordan
Baghdad, Iraq
Cairo, Egypt
Damascus, Syria
Members
Reviews
The inhabitants of Wadi-al-Uyoun are in a turmoil. Strange men have arrived in the wadi. They were not bedoiuns or Arabs though a few accompanied these strangers. The wadi was an important stopoff point for caravans crossing the desert -- here was water, rest, and a place to exchange news from far and wide. Each arriving caravan was to the residents a sign of renewal, and a link to the world outside -- they brought with them flour, sugar, and the much longed-for news of the son or the show more husband who has been away for many a year. The people of the wadi have always lived like this, life was simple and as predictable as the rains that were sure to come in the end of autumn. But the strangers who came with strange objects and set up camp just off the wadi -- they elicited a mix of curiousity, wonder, suspicion, but most of all fear, a terror of something unknown. Stories went around, passed quickly from one end of the wadi to the other that these strange men were sent by the emir. Which means they were to be treated as friends. Days turned into weeks, and these pale men with light hair who spoke among themselves in a low voice in an unintelligible language, continued doing things nobody understood -- they would go out to the dunes, stand on them with sticks, keep looking afar, and confer with each other from time to time. The men of the wadi kept a careful watch, some even slept just outside the camp just not to miss anything, but nobody could make neither head nor tail of it. Then one day, some very odd looking objects were brought to the camp. A loud noise was heard which continued through the night and many nights and days after, causing even more fear and confusion among the villagers. They could no longer go to the well as often as they used to, so much water was being taken by the strange men and poured into the sand that little was left for the villagers. Stories went around that the wadi sat on a big deposit of gold, and the men were digging under the sand for it. They were told that riches unheard of will soon be theirs, but that they have to be patient and do as they were told. The villagers were very much perturbed by all this, but kept quiet -- it was Allah's will. All except one man. Mitel al-Hathal, whose father and grandfather before him had been fierce defenders of their tribe, was never, for one second, fooled by any of this. He understood. He knew that the Devil had come, and what he was seeing was the destruction of the wadi, together with everything that they ever knew and loved, forever to be gone. And that he was powerless to stop it.
The swift transformation of the tiny, forgotten village in the sands into a modern town for the Americans, and the waves of new arrivals from unknown lands, brought with it problems and situations that were unrecognizable to them. The opening of the port and new roads brought many new things that caused the people consternation and misery. The changes shocked the community, and each one struggled to make sense of it but they continued to be ignorant, as no explanations were forthcoming and the Americans refused to deal with them. They could not expect anything from the emir who was inept, infantile and only cared for the newfangled toys that the Americans gave him. Superstitions and fatalism dictated the people's actions. One injustice bred another, then another until things came to a head, and the people who were meek as sheep who in their oppression left all to Allah, finally shouted enough was enough.
Cities of Salt is the story of the destruction and the diaspora of a poor oasis community in an unnamed kingdom in the Persian Gulf, following the discovery of oil there. It narrates the evolution of the modern-day Gulf states from the perspective of the people whose lives have been upended with the arrival of the Western oil companies. This is a sad and disturbing novel, but ultimately it is a powerful portrayal of displacement and marginalization, of cultural confrontation fueled by mutual incomprehension and clash of values, and the reclaiming of community honour. The book is not high literature, the writing is sometimes disjointed and the pace deliberate, characters seem to be two-dimensional, yet Munif drives home the point powerfully, and raises questions that would make politicians and big business uneasy, which is why it continues to be banned in several Middle East countries. Cities of Salt is the first of a quintet, although only three have been translated into English so far. show less
The swift transformation of the tiny, forgotten village in the sands into a modern town for the Americans, and the waves of new arrivals from unknown lands, brought with it problems and situations that were unrecognizable to them. The opening of the port and new roads brought many new things that caused the people consternation and misery. The changes shocked the community, and each one struggled to make sense of it but they continued to be ignorant, as no explanations were forthcoming and the Americans refused to deal with them. They could not expect anything from the emir who was inept, infantile and only cared for the newfangled toys that the Americans gave him. Superstitions and fatalism dictated the people's actions. One injustice bred another, then another until things came to a head, and the people who were meek as sheep who in their oppression left all to Allah, finally shouted enough was enough.
Cities of Salt is the story of the destruction and the diaspora of a poor oasis community in an unnamed kingdom in the Persian Gulf, following the discovery of oil there. It narrates the evolution of the modern-day Gulf states from the perspective of the people whose lives have been upended with the arrival of the Western oil companies. This is a sad and disturbing novel, but ultimately it is a powerful portrayal of displacement and marginalization, of cultural confrontation fueled by mutual incomprehension and clash of values, and the reclaiming of community honour. The book is not high literature, the writing is sometimes disjointed and the pace deliberate, characters seem to be two-dimensional, yet Munif drives home the point powerfully, and raises questions that would make politicians and big business uneasy, which is why it continues to be banned in several Middle East countries. Cities of Salt is the first of a quintet, although only three have been translated into English so far. show less
“أن يمتليء الرأس بالصور شيء ، وأن يفلح القلم في رسمها شيء آخر “
كتبت هذه الرواية بتعاون بين جبرا ابراهيم جبرا و عبدالرحمن منيف ،
انتهيت منها يوم الأحد 3 مايو ، في الصفحة الأخيرة من الكتاب الصق stickers التي توضع على كوب القهوة لتحدد نوع قهوة اليوم ، انتهيت من القراءة في يومين show more وكانت قهوتي حينها sumatran – breakfast blend.
أدخلتني في هالة عجيبة لم أستطع الكتابة عنها . . لن أفصل كثيراً لكنّ انطباعي بعد انتهائي منها كان : هذه رواية تخبطك على راسك وبدل ما تقول آي ، تقول مزيدا مزيداً !
أحسست بنفس جبرا ابراهيم جبرا واضح فيها، وتساءلت عن التفاصيل التي كتبها منيف أين هي وفي أي مقاطع من الرواية؟
حالياً احتاج اقرأ عمل لمنيف لأستطيع تحديد اسلوبه.
علاء الدين السلوم الكاتب، شخصيتة الجذابة والمركبّة ، الحزينة ، المغامرة ، المليئة بالتراكمات ، وأهم ما شدني لمتابعته للنهاية مهنته ( الكتابة ) تحدث عن صعوباتها وانتصاراتها بطريقة سلسة بين الأحداث .
نصرت السلّوم ، ذكرتني بقريبة لي تطابق وصف شخصيتها ، وحياتها نفس الحياة !كنت كل ما مرّت بها الصفحات ابتسم واقول : سبحان الله !
و نجوى العامري الذكية المثقفة الممتلئة بالحياة والوضوح والغموض في آن ، حتى انا وقعت في حبّها !
لدرجة اني طلعت بنص قراءتي آخذ قهوة من كوفي الجامعة وكانت قدامي بنت واقفه بالطابور ، فيها كثير من وصف نجوى وجلست اتأملها الين التفتت ناحيتي وقالت مشبهه ؟
عمورية التي تحدثت عنها الرواية تشبه اكثر من مدينة عربية ، جلست احاول اقارب في بداية الصفحات هل هي بيروت هل هي دمشق هل هي بغداد !
وكلهم يذكرون لاحقا في الرواية ، بمعزل عنها . .
في النهاية سلّمت لما أورده الكاتبين في اول صفحة بأنها مدينه من نسج الخيال ، مثلها مثل “ماكوندو” ماركيز !
” أن يموت الإنسان هو أسهل الأشياء، حينما ننتهي نذهب مع الأفكار والأحلام والأحقاد. أما أن يموت ويبعث ليموت في كل لحظة، أن يموت وهو حيّ ، فهذا هو العذاب الحقيقي”.
رائعة جداً ،
show less
كتبت هذه الرواية بتعاون بين جبرا ابراهيم جبرا و عبدالرحمن منيف ،
انتهيت منها يوم الأحد 3 مايو ، في الصفحة الأخيرة من الكتاب الصق stickers التي توضع على كوب القهوة لتحدد نوع قهوة اليوم ، انتهيت من القراءة في يومين show more وكانت قهوتي حينها sumatran – breakfast blend.
أدخلتني في هالة عجيبة لم أستطع الكتابة عنها . . لن أفصل كثيراً لكنّ انطباعي بعد انتهائي منها كان : هذه رواية تخبطك على راسك وبدل ما تقول آي ، تقول مزيدا مزيداً !
أحسست بنفس جبرا ابراهيم جبرا واضح فيها، وتساءلت عن التفاصيل التي كتبها منيف أين هي وفي أي مقاطع من الرواية؟
حالياً احتاج اقرأ عمل لمنيف لأستطيع تحديد اسلوبه.
علاء الدين السلوم الكاتب، شخصيتة الجذابة والمركبّة ، الحزينة ، المغامرة ، المليئة بالتراكمات ، وأهم ما شدني لمتابعته للنهاية مهنته ( الكتابة ) تحدث عن صعوباتها وانتصاراتها بطريقة سلسة بين الأحداث .
نصرت السلّوم ، ذكرتني بقريبة لي تطابق وصف شخصيتها ، وحياتها نفس الحياة !كنت كل ما مرّت بها الصفحات ابتسم واقول : سبحان الله !
و نجوى العامري الذكية المثقفة الممتلئة بالحياة والوضوح والغموض في آن ، حتى انا وقعت في حبّها !
لدرجة اني طلعت بنص قراءتي آخذ قهوة من كوفي الجامعة وكانت قدامي بنت واقفه بالطابور ، فيها كثير من وصف نجوى وجلست اتأملها الين التفتت ناحيتي وقالت مشبهه ؟
عمورية التي تحدثت عنها الرواية تشبه اكثر من مدينة عربية ، جلست احاول اقارب في بداية الصفحات هل هي بيروت هل هي دمشق هل هي بغداد !
وكلهم يذكرون لاحقا في الرواية ، بمعزل عنها . .
في النهاية سلّمت لما أورده الكاتبين في اول صفحة بأنها مدينه من نسج الخيال ، مثلها مثل “ماكوندو” ماركيز !
” أن يموت الإنسان هو أسهل الأشياء، حينما ننتهي نذهب مع الأفكار والأحلام والأحقاد. أما أن يموت ويبعث ليموت في كل لحظة، أن يموت وهو حيّ ، فهذا هو العذاب الحقيقي”.
رائعة جداً ،
show less
A number of years ago I read Cities of Salt, a lengthy and impressive novel tells of the encounter between Americans and Arabs in the 1930s. An oasis community begins to disintegrate as the search for oil starts. In some ways, like Okri’s work, it tells of the clash and costs when cultures and, indeed, times collide. Endings, on the other hand, starts by setting a frame: a rural village grappling with a drought that threatens its existence. When the protagonist urges a journey into the show more desert to search for food, calamities result. The second half of the book is a collection of stories, ostensibly told in commemoration of the life of one of the dead. These stories each rely on animal metaphors which, my reading suggests, reflects a pre-Islamic tradition for expressing a particular vision…as Munif explores the price of Westernization on a highly traditional society. show less
finished Cities of Salt last night. What a rewarding read. The subject is the coming of the oil industry to Saudi Arabia and the complete destruction of Bedouin culture - not unlike Achebe's Things Fall Apart. There is something elegiac about this novel - it almost feels geologic - I don't know how else to express it - the sense of something shifting slowly and irrevocably. Fantastic book.
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Statistics
- Works
- 30
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 1,189
- Popularity
- #21,620
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 18
- ISBNs
- 59
- Languages
- 9
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- 3