Season of Migration to the North - Tayeb Salih BOOK REVIEW

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[@lareinathelassa]

I read this book for my uni course called colonial writing. Analysing this book according to colonial literary criticism was absolutely fascinating. One thing you didn't say was the reason why the English girls would sleep with Mustafa. It's because he was considered a fetish; travelers, authors or whatever would write about the east as a fantastical world. Anyone who slept with someone not from the western world was essentially lured into this world, they were under their deceitful charm--very much like Othello. If you read that play you'd know how they kept mentioning that Othello's wife only married him because she wasn't being aware of what she's doing, she was too deep under his spell. That is why the English girls ended up killing themselves, because how could they allow themselves to stoop so low and be lured into Mustafa's dungeon? In the end, the woman who marries him ends up colonising him; she showed that no matter where he goes, no matter how educated he is, he is still "savage", a "primitive Arab". She pushes him to kill her to prove this to him. He ends up in this traumatic vertigo where he is convinced she is right, goes back to Sudan and ends up killing himself. By the way, I wrote a killer paper on this. My dean was so proud :D

[@BetterThanFoodBookReviews]

Nicely done!

[@samm8729]

muh colonialism

[@Carolibrahim9]

me too!! I would love to discuss this with someone!

[@santeri2790]

@@samm8729 nice reply, philistine

[@hinayasir501]

Hi. Yasmine could u share your paper plz. It would be v helpful for me if u could.

[@sneedle252]

Recommend Lust, Caution. Both the novella and the film.

[@BooksFriends]

Finally a booktuber makes a video about an arabic Book. This is so nice :)

[@kaaghalaa]

My comment is late as I've just discovered this video, but I never thought that Jean Morris 'colonized' Mustafa. I thought of it as Mustafa discovering a woman who treated him like she treated any other man. He tried to conquer her like he did the others and failed. She was immune to the Oriental charm. I think the reason he 'killed himself' was because he's so trapped in the pain of the past and is unable to move forward. Before his disappearance he uttered Jean's name in his sleep. I think it mirrors the country that had resigned to its fate and accepted its corruption (another theme in the book). Orientalism is a two way street, and only the main character could move beyond the schism that had been formed in the past. He calls for help when he is between the south and north bank of the river.

[@aaliyahlinkov]

Your coment is spot on!

[@laviniaqu8136]

I tried for so long to read the phrase on the thumbnail and it dind't make sense to me until i realised you spelled it backwards. It should be from right to left not left to right. Good morning to you too and Nice review nevertheless. The coffee making was relaxing to watch. :)

[@BetterThanFoodBookReviews]

Thank you - fixing presently hahaha

[@EamonnSheehy]

I must restart this book - I take an Arabic class and the teacher mentioned maybe trying this book in Arabic, since its quiet short and is Sudanese (like our teacher). Although I can't imagine reading the night scene with Bint out loud in a class :) Someone else mentioned Hassan Blasim - I am currently making my way through the same short story collection, The Corpse Exhibition and other stories of Iraq. Its a mindfuck of a book. He is no doubt going to be a cult superstar writer. Compared to Bolano and Gogol, banned from entry into the US, and translated by the fantastic Jonathan Wright. You can't go wrong. :) I have a few more Arabic translations to get through, Arablit blog is a great source for new and exciting Arabic into English translations. Abbellah Taia 'Salvation Army' on Semiotext(e) books, Assia Djebar's 'Algerian White', Alaa Al Aswany's 'The Yacoubian Building' (the film of this is excellent and funny as hell to boot). 'American War' by Omar El Akkad is easily my most anticipated read for this year. It sounds like a stellar book.Layla Saida!

[@richardwestwood8212]

ليلة سعيدة إيمون.

[@keenandemarsico4046]

Cliff- "corpse exhibition", its a short story by iraqi born writer, blassim. It will take you twenty minutes to read and haunt u for life, its right up your alley. This one sounds great btw

[@BetterThanFoodBookReviews]

Sounds excellent - noted and thanks

[@abraintrust]

I really loved this book, read it twice in a row. There is something mysterious about it, there is something about books written in another language, they have a different style. I get that all books have a different style, but a different language is a style in-itself.

[@northface1000]

Get to 3:30 this is when he starts talking about the book.

[@Cinqmil]

The Arabic text on your tumbnail is wrong. It wants to say "Sabaah al Chair", which means Good morning in Arabic. But you forgot that in Arabic they write from right to left. Someone who knows Arabic will read the seperate letters R-I-CH L-A H-A-B-S, which means nothing. Just turn them around to fix it. This is how it looks: صباح الخير

[@BetterThanFoodBookReviews]

I was wondering! Thanks for catching that ;)

[@Cinqmil]

You're welcome. Great review by the way.

[@BetterThanFoodBookReviews]

Thank you very much for commenting - saved me.

[@kweenme8101]

I was listening and learning. happy to do so, then you mispronounced an Arabic Name. OK. Then you said you didn't give a fuck. BAD. Then you said you didn't care and wouldn't even try because the name was o different. So you can say Tolstoy or Chekhov or Nikolai Gogol or Tallahassee...then you can say Salahuddin.

[@karammelkon]

I'm arabic and I haven't heard of this book before! Thanks so much for reviewing it!

[@azizmo9634]

😅

[@eminkerim7859]

lol what?!

[@yousufelaish3601]

Thumbs up from Sudan Good job by the way I think our beloved T salih would elegantly smile at ur review with content, People is people is literally what he says in the first few pages and through out his life God bless bro

[@burnedblkcookies9657]

صبا النور.. الطيب صالح احد افضل الكتاب في العالم.. Love from 🇸🇩

[@ОлегОленев-я3о]

I am here exceptionally early and there is Arabic somehow involved.

[@BetterThanFoodBookReviews]

Me too. Good morning.

[@tamvosper7388]

Nice throw Cliff - this one will be going on the list.

[@Kush_328]

We are by the standards of the European industrialized world, poor peasants, but when I embrace my grandfather I feel rich, as if I were a tune from the heartbeat of the universe itself! Tayeb Salih, Season of Migration to the North

[@dhruvkandhari8398]

You should absolutely read The Cairo Trilogy by Nobel Prize winning Arab Naguib Mahfouz. It is his magnum opus and in my opinion parallels Tolstoy’s major literary works.

[@mohammadeljachi6229]

You should definitely review Men in the Sun by Ghassan Kanafani,classic post-colonial arabic novel and tops most arabic literature lists.

[@YaraHarfouch]

Thank you for your insight! I needed this for my World Literature finals.

[@YaraHarfouch]

Thank you for your insight! I needed this for my World Literature finals.

[@fatimaalzubaidi1309]

I wont to write search about this novel and I need some English critical books about it,please any one know some or even one of this books, pleas tell me about it🌺

[@mazenelzamel64]

Did anyone tell you that you look exactly like Tom Yates...

[@rl6807]

You should review some laszlo krasznahorkai sometime!

[@whitetuxmafiaandfilms5042]

Whenever you review a book I've already read I feel like a smarty-Mcparty-Mcfarty pants.

[@RaniaInWonderland]

As a result of the colonialism or whatever some denominations of Arab people ( which include 22 countries and different races by the way) developed some European habits like drinking or gambling. We have group of people who are very religious, some atheists and a lot in between.

[@jacobkelly6717]

Thanks man, you helped me write my college paper on this.

[@steeping]

is that house roasted? coincidentally, I just started stovetop roasting my own beans and brewing pourover a few weeks back.

[@BetterThanFoodBookReviews]

Not that one but just did a batch of Ethiopian this morning ;)

[@alharithabdoelbagi1826]

You chose one of the best arabic novels and you got new subscriber

[@andyalam5074]

Do you know what the North symbolizes?

[@fernandomercado2711]

Whenever a book has been banned or somewhere...I know I have to read it

[@TB.906]

Congratulations on 20k subscribers :)

[@BetterThanFoodBookReviews]

Thanks very much!

[@weiwang7975]

can you do ceremony by leslie marmon silko?

[@محمدالخيرحمادناصرحماد]

لك الرحمة و المغفرة أيها الطيب و أيها الصالح

[@leonorah3740]

I read it in Arabic, and I liked your review. It reminded me by the novels of Stefan Zweig, and I'm obsessed by him. I think this novel is cozy.

[@lined01]

Well, I didn't expect yet to meet Grigory Panteelevich Melekhov by Sholokhov in English, but I like this twist between Christianity and Islam, because we people of 21th century are so damn shit stupid, although we all try hard to go trough this stupid conflict, buddy. Literature seems to be one way to the same passion.

[@drdopamine369]

Do Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

[@monaamblard8712]

beautiful description of the book, just finished reading it, you speak of it with real depth. Love the way you recall some significant passage of the book. Thanks for the review. Keep up the great work!

[@edwardde5618]

1001 nights (or arabian nights as I think it is named in English) is one of the surepises this year for me. also ''earth and ashes'' about 70 Pages, is great. both on my top list this year

[@ZoBadr]

Nicely reviewed, read the English version after your review to get perspective, absolutely amazing Thanks

[@hammzaali6527]

Sir, the letter H in Arabic is pronounced, usually with a stress. So it is SaliH and maHjoub.

[@orangejulius3]

Is that a Baratza coffee grinder you use? I have an Encore which I'm quite impressed with considering the price point.

[@brokenegg4714]

Ah, Mustafa Saeed is actually of "middle build" not tall and dark.

[@Fairuzfan2]

Just finished this book. One of the best ive ever read!

[@breathevideopro]

Wow, on the edge of my seat for Cancer. Wait, that sounds really bad without context.

[@nullset560]

What your equipment for recording these Cliff? You have convinced me to start a channel of my own!

[@michelebuckles7865]

I read this book at 17 years old by the insistence of my Egyptian friend. I remember the style of writing formed landscaped oil paintings in my head. Would love to re-visit this one 15 years later.

[@mechanisms7320]

Cliff, what coffee making method are you using here?

[@AJ-hi6lw]

it is my favorite I read it many times in several languages.

[@mubarakabdulla1423]

Just finished it, awsome review 👍

[@wilson7884]

Oh my god, I found Tom Yates from House of Cards

[@remdhanemed2093]

It’s beautiful book ❤️

[@sqd8120]

Oooo I have the book in Arabic

[@oularagi8655]

I’m his grandchild

[@juanestadian8471]

his weapon........hahahahahahaha

[@samehsam5905]

Oh u are SO handsome

[@osmanasad]

Great book Read many times Each time it gets more exiting .

[@osmanmohammed8815]

I'm from sudan, I'm so proud of this writer 😊❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@seso8877]

Can you show us the books she sent you?

[@BetterThanFoodBookReviews]

Sarah check out my instagram

[@whenpigsfly8483]

Reading this book is the assignment of the month😃. Keep up the great the great work! 👍