Patrick G.P
Chymist
I’m interested in checking out middle eastern literature, can anyone recommend any middle eastern authors who's work falls under the weird/horror category that would be worth checking out? Translated to English is a must.
Middle Eastern Weird/Horror
- Thread starter Patrick G.P
- Start date
lepidoppleganger
Mannikin
The only thing that comes mind is the work of Sadegh (Sadeq) Hedeyat. There are some collections of his short stories that have been translated.The Blind Owl is absolutely essential reading. Kind of an obvious choice I guess, but if anyone hasn't read this gem yet, they really should.
luciferfell
Chymist
Cyclonopedia by Reza Negarestani.
Gnosticangel
Grimscribe
"Cyclonopedia by Reza Negarestani."
Came to second this reference, it's a mind-blowing work that seems equally inspired by desert demons and the spirit of 20th century petroleum wars.
Came to second this reference, it's a mind-blowing work that seems equally inspired by desert demons and the spirit of 20th century petroleum wars.
ToALonelyPeace
Grimscribe
The Blind Owl is good as others have said. I tried to read Cyclonopedia but quit after a few pages, I don't know if I'll try it again.
I've heard of The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz being compared to Orwell's 1984 but I personally haven't read it.
I've heard of The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz being compared to Orwell's 1984 but I personally haven't read it.
ChildofOldLeech
Grimscribe
Seconding those here, The Blind Owl is one of the great visionary works of the 20th century, and among my very favorite novels, while Cyclonopedia was something that I'd been looking forward to for some time, but found its post-postmodern theoretical terminology/jargon to be difficult to the point of unreadability; however, should I ever find a used copy somewhere I might give it another try.
S
Sad Marsh Ghost
Guest
Good thread. People have a responsibility to read writers from other cultures, genders, etc.
Evans
Grimscribe
Might I suggest Bahram Sadeghi as a potential option for people interested in Iranian or Persian strange literature. Translations of his stuff are rather pricey but still I throw the name out there:
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Malakut-Stories-Persian-Literature-Bibliotheca/dp/1588140849/[URL="https://www.amazon.com/Malakut-Stories-Persian-Literature-Bibliotheca/dp/1588140849/"][/ame]
That might entice people away from the Weird...
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Malakut-Stories-Persian-Literature-Bibliotheca/dp/1588140849/[URL="https://www.amazon.com/Malakut-Stories-Persian-Literature-Bibliotheca/dp/1588140849/"][/ame]
That might entice people away from the Weird...
Patrick G.P
Chymist
Thanks, everybody for your excellent tips here, I will be picking up the books you guys recommended. I've just finished reading Malakut and Other Stories by Bahram Sadeqi and I thought I'd post a review of it here:
Malakut and Other Stories is a collection of tales from Iranian writer Bahram Sadeqi whose tales are strange, surreal, ironic and very satirical. Some stories deal with the loss of freedom, expression, and rights that the Iranian people suffered during the coup in the 1950s, other tales delve into the displacement of the self or self-worth in a strange, alien society. Sadeqi is frequently compared to Kafka in the foreword of the book, and that comparison is pretty spot on, as Sadeqi’s characters resemble Kafkaesque souls who wander through a hostile, unknown existence trying to find some sort of solace or meaning in their existence. What I really liked about Sadeqi’s prose was the modernist touches he added to the stories, often breaking the fourth wall, describing his characters’ actions as part of a short story or narrative.
Some of the standout tales for me was: Action-Packed: Families come together to celebrate the winter solstice, but the entire tale focuses on the bickering, small-mindedness of people struggling to find a role in life and society. Teaching in a Lovely Spring: A strange, surreal tale set in a classroom where neither teacher or students can see each other. Enigma: The story of a man who can’t recognize his own face. Malakut: The novella was the highlight of the collection for me, strange, eerie and dreamlike it tells the tale of a strange doctor with a sinister past, a man helplessly possessed by a Jinn and a man who’s addicted to amputating parts of his body.
Bahram Sadeqi’s goal was to write “pure” stories, detached from politics and our views on society, and as commendable that sounds, he didn’t quite manage to do that. The political and social strife’s of Iran is present in many of his stories and it’s hard not to read a lot of the tales as allegories for a new and unfamiliar society. But there is a sinister strangeness over his tales, and he writes as much in the weird tradition as Kafka, Poe or even Roland Topor did with exploring the loss of identity, and estrangement from family and society. This collection is definitively worth a look if you want to read dark, strange fiction from a non-western view.
Malakut and Other Stories is a collection of tales from Iranian writer Bahram Sadeqi whose tales are strange, surreal, ironic and very satirical. Some stories deal with the loss of freedom, expression, and rights that the Iranian people suffered during the coup in the 1950s, other tales delve into the displacement of the self or self-worth in a strange, alien society. Sadeqi is frequently compared to Kafka in the foreword of the book, and that comparison is pretty spot on, as Sadeqi’s characters resemble Kafkaesque souls who wander through a hostile, unknown existence trying to find some sort of solace or meaning in their existence. What I really liked about Sadeqi’s prose was the modernist touches he added to the stories, often breaking the fourth wall, describing his characters’ actions as part of a short story or narrative.
Some of the standout tales for me was: Action-Packed: Families come together to celebrate the winter solstice, but the entire tale focuses on the bickering, small-mindedness of people struggling to find a role in life and society. Teaching in a Lovely Spring: A strange, surreal tale set in a classroom where neither teacher or students can see each other. Enigma: The story of a man who can’t recognize his own face. Malakut: The novella was the highlight of the collection for me, strange, eerie and dreamlike it tells the tale of a strange doctor with a sinister past, a man helplessly possessed by a Jinn and a man who’s addicted to amputating parts of his body.
Bahram Sadeqi’s goal was to write “pure” stories, detached from politics and our views on society, and as commendable that sounds, he didn’t quite manage to do that. The political and social strife’s of Iran is present in many of his stories and it’s hard not to read a lot of the tales as allegories for a new and unfamiliar society. But there is a sinister strangeness over his tales, and he writes as much in the weird tradition as Kafka, Poe or even Roland Topor did with exploring the loss of identity, and estrangement from family and society. This collection is definitively worth a look if you want to read dark, strange fiction from a non-western view.
Nicole Cushing
Mystic
I'm almost finished with The Hospital by Ahmed Bouanani (a novella written in 1990 but just recently translated into English and published by New Directions).
Really enjoying it. Bleak, hallucinatory, full of all sorts of squalid foulness and sacrilege.
New Directions has also recently translated some of Bouanani's poetry, in a volume call The Shutters. I've ordered that from my local indie bookstore and am looking forward to picking it up tomorrow.
Really enjoying it. Bleak, hallucinatory, full of all sorts of squalid foulness and sacrilege.
New Directions has also recently translated some of Bouanani's poetry, in a volume call The Shutters. I've ordered that from my local indie bookstore and am looking forward to picking it up tomorrow.
