Bibliograph

The locust and the bird, my mother's story, by Hanan Al-Shaykh ; translated from the Arabic by Roger Allen

Type

Label

The locust and the bird, my mother's story, by Hanan Al-Shaykh ; translated from the Arabic by Roger Allen

Language

eng

resource.biographical

individual biography

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The locust and the bird

Oclc number

317252506

Responsibility statement

by Hanan Al-Shaykh ; translated from the Arabic by Roger Allen

Sub title

my mother's story

Summary

Brought up in poverty in a village in southern Lebanon, Kamila never had the opportunity to go to school, although she longed to. She was nine years old when she moved to Beirut and only eleven when her brothers tricked her into getting engaged to a man her uncle, eighteen years her senior. Kamila was expected to be stone-bearing donkey to live a domestic life. But it is the sounds, stories and imagery of poetry and films, and a beautiful boy called Muhammad, that fascinate Kamila. Muhanmmad is enchanted by her spirited and wily nature and they fall in love. Despite scratching, screaming, biting and crying, Kamila's battle against her arranged marriage is fruitless. At fourteen she is forced to marry and share her husband's bed. That night, her first daughter is conceived. Her second, Hanan, is born three years later. What follows is an incredible story of love and loss, tragedy, community and strength. Risking their lives Kamila and Muhammad continue to see each other in secret, sharing ideas, poetry and laughter. It takes eight years before Kamila can bring herself to divorce her husband, as to do so means abandoning her daughtersBiographies and Autobiographies

Classification