Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih - summary and analysis (the best Sudanese novel)

In this video I will discuss Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih, the great Sudanese author. It’s considered a classic novel of African and Arabic literature. In this video I will summarise it for you and then I will analyse its themes and storytelling.
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[@oussamahirache5329]

literally the best youtube channel. you are helping me in my postcolonial module as well as the philosophy module.

[@annakarina5475]

Thanks for your summary. It was enlightening how you likened of Mustafa's treatment of women to the way the colonial powers treated African nations. That has really broadened my understanding of the book! I've watched more of your videos now and I like them a lot. We seem to have a similar taste in literature as you've covered many of my favourite authors! Concerning your aim of reading the world: may I suggest Maaza Mengiste's "Beneath the Lion's Gaze" for Ethiopia? Her "Shadow King" seems more popular, but I liked her debut novel a lot and it provides a great perspective on Ethiopia. For Albania I'd suggest "Broken April" - a riveting read that explores the Kanun, the ancient laws in Albania. I think these two books would make for great videos too. 🙂

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thanks a lot for these recommendations.

[@youssefk513]

I'm very thankful for your great summary. You really helped me to explain it to my friends.

[@najeebbounassif4714]

Thank you so much i took this work in world literature course and i have exam tomorrow you helped a lot ❤️🌍

[@Fiction_Beast]

Glad it was helpful.

[@yunaxikim2615]

Same

[@RandomFunPage]

Fantastic. This video holds till now and then great insight into the story’s complete tale. Definitely using this channel for other books too 💪😄

[@mubasharahmad8291]

Well explained Sir

[@sarahaldghen9462]

can I conclude the following: The narrative utilizes external focalization effectively, with the unnamed narrator observing and reporting on Mustafa's behavior without insights into his internal world. This technique engages the reader's curiosity and imagination, placing them alongside the narrator as an observer. However, the narrative shifts intriguingly when the narrator enters Mustafa's secret room, transitioning to internal focalization. This sudden change blurs the lines between the perspectives of Mustafa and the narrator, leaving readers uncertain about whose thoughts they are accessing. This ambiguity in narration could be interpreted as suggesting a deeper connection between the narrator and Mustafa. By merging their perspectives in this pivotal scene, the author may be hinting that the narrator is a reflection of Mustafa, sharing similar stories, pasts, and potentially, futures.

[@jeevanballabhmathuriya532]

Worthy to be admired. Thanks for sharing.🙏

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you!

[@agbochinwendu8326]

Thank you, really breaks it down well for me, I don't even need to read the novel

[@sawyerjoe309]

Thanks for the summary, really well done!

[@Fiction_Beast]

Awesome. I’m glad it was helpful.

[@youssefbou-ougrou1193]

Appreciate your efforts , it truly helps a lot

[@Fiction_Beast]

Wonderful! Thank you.

[@elzamerinmathew9390]

Thankyou so much for this video.. Really great explanation...Helped me a lot ..Love from Kerala!🙏❤️😊

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you Elza! Awesome to hear that.

[@ammus9177]

Interesting video! Appreciate that you drew attention to the parallel between Kurtz and Mustafa.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you for the kind words. I’m glad you appreciate it.

[@eiily8176]

This was very very helpful thank you so much

[@calisthenicbiker9846]

You're a good story teller... Good analysis 👏👏👏

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you! 😃

[@gowther7817]

it means a lot, thank for the help sir , keep going

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you so much!

[@alltheworld1499]

Following you From Sudan

[@galanzj]

thanks a lot! it was interesting.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you!

[@sharontheodore8216]

Cross cultural conflicts do not always have happy ending. Many thanks for your clear summary.

[@Fiction_Beast]

thank you! I am glad you enjoyed it. unfortunately it is true.

[@ThirdLens]

Wow such a great video.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Glad you liked it!

[@yakuza2163]

Thank you very much

[@krishangeedas5479]

Best explanation 👌

[@Fiction_Beast]

You’re kind. Thanks for watching.

[@Worshipsatch]

Very helpful!

[@Fiction_Beast]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rereattia3910]

Thank you for your video. I read this novel many times and your interpretation added so much to my understanding. I would like to add that in the novel the writer indicated that Mustafa’s mother was from South Sudan which as a Sudanese I would say that her marriage to Musatafa’s father was unacceptable ( and still culturally unacceptable) might explains why they had no family around and no bond. His lack of intimacy (love and care from his mother and lack of family bond / identity) was then confused with sexual desires as he grew up and met Mrs Robinson. I don’t know if that adds anything it is just my humble interpretation as an eager reader to Al tayeb Saleh novels.

[@rereattia3910]

I think Jean Mores ( I hope I spelled her name right because I read the novel in Arabic) reminded him so much of his mother. Because she refused showing him affection and enjoyed seeing him suffer while asking for affection. He maybe wanted to know more from his mother wanted more reactions from his mother maybe that’s why he felt that he was a lie, Musfata is a life and an unreal person .And when Jean Mores gives in he couldn’t handle it. All that bitterness from his mother’s coldness resulted in him killing her/Jean / his mother.

[@akshathashetty1788]

Interesting!

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you!

[@alviarixhi8738]

Great

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you!

[@woody234sweep]

Great video. Was wondering what the term 'bint' signifies in African/Asian writing.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you for watching my video. I had to look it up as I had never heard of the term bint before. Is it like an Arab girlfriend?

[@woody234sweep]

@@Fiction_Beast In the UK it is a derogatory term for a girl, woman or girlfriend. In the novel Season of Migration there is Bint Majzoub. Also, Sa'eed's 2nd wife has the name Hosna bint Mahmoud I think. Chambers dictionary mentions daughter, so it is maybe a reference to her father's name.

[@Fiction_Beast]

I took it to mean the “daughter of...”. I might be wrong, but I thought it was the feminine form of bin which means son, like bin laden simply means the son of laden and for women it would be bint. That’s how I interpreted it in the novel. Hopefully an Arabic speaker corrects us here.

[@woody234sweep]

@@Fiction_Beast Thanks. I think you are right. I just found it mentioned in online dictionary as from the mid 19th century Arabic, literally 'daughter, girl'. Thanks for taking the time.

[@Fiction_Beast]

You’re very welcome. Appreciate you watching the video!

[@brunofranco4416]

Interesting. Im currently reading some of the more popular latinamerican books.

[@Fiction_Beast]

i reviwed about 8 latin american novels from 7 countries. you can check out my videos kzbin.info/aero/PLyKyeehuJVIHlai2eo5CLy33Bn3KS6Gi6

[@brunofranco4416]

@@Fiction_Beast Yeah, i already watched them. Any recommendations from Peru and Uruguay?

[@Fiction_Beast]

@@brunofranco4416 From Peru Vargas Llosa (my video was on Aunt Julia and the scriptwriter) but his famous novels more about the political and social issues. i havent read anything by a Uruguayan writer yet, but Juan Carlos Onetti's Shipyard seems like a nice novel.

[@brunofranco4416]

@@Fiction_Beast what whould you say is Llosa's most famous work?

[@Fiction_Beast]

The time of the hero or conversation in the cathedral. I haven’t read them. I only read aunt Julia.

[@sadegilbert4264]

Wow

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thanks for watching.

[@mqcastro24]

I just finished the book and wanted to understand more about what it meant. The edition I have had and explanation at the beggining how the book is about the “nahda” philosophy and its failure due to the patriarchal colonizer that still remains. Do you see this interpretation as well?

[@Fiction_Beast]

First thank you for watching and commenting on my video! To be perfectly honest I didn’t know anything about nahda philosophy. After googling it I understand it to mean reawakening among arabs. I think the novel doesn’t deal with political issues, it merely focuses on the relations between men and women, and to complicate things more between white women and a black man. Also black women against black men in the village. It’s mostly centered on gender relations in the lights of colonialism. one could say that due to colonialism Arabs didnt have the chance to develope and flourish more organically and naturally, which can explain Mustafa's terrible behaviour. I hope that answers your question. I don’t know much about the political aspects.

[@mqcastro24]

@@Fiction_Beast Thank YOU for making such a great video and also for taking the time to reply to my comment as well.

[@mqcastro24]

@@Fiction_Beast Ito further explain what I was trying to say I picked the book back again. The introduction is by Wail S. Hassam. He talks about how the Nada philosophy influences the author because he wrote during such period. He mentions how this author has 3 books that, although talk about different stories, complement each other. Specifically about "season of migration to the north" he says "In this way the novel shows that the synthesis of traditional culture and modern ideas envisioned in the liberal discourse of the Nada and given such poetic expression in 'the wedding of zein" cannot succeed in the shadow of colonial and patriarchal hegemony". I thought this interpretation to be very interesting and thought Id share it with you in case you might wanna look it up further.

[@mqcastro24]

One more interesting quote to share "Begun in 1962 and published in 1966, the novel diagnosed the Arab predictament during that turbulent decade by stressing the violence of the colonial past, of which Mustafa Sa'eed is a product; announcing the demise of the liberal project of the Nada, championed by the Western-educated intellectuals like the narrator who failed to account for imperialism in there vision of cultural synthesis; condemning the corruption of postcolonial governments; and declaring the bankruptcy of traditionalist conservatism hostile to reform, represented by the village elders. The final scene of the novel, and specially its last words, forecasts the fate of existential loss and ideological confusion that many in the Arab world would feel in the wake of the 1967 war."

[@mqcastro24]

read Nahda* instead of Nada, please. Sorry for the typo, its my auto-correct.