The Bleeding of the Stone

by Ibrahim al-Koni

Overview

The moufflon, a wild sheep prized for its meat, continues to survive in the remote mountain desert of southern Libya. Only Asouf, a lone bedouin who cherishes the desert and identifies with its creatures, knows exactly where it is to be found. Now he and the moufflon together come under threat from hunters who have already slaughtered the once numerous desert gazelles. The novel combines pertinent ecological issues with a moving portrayal of traditional desert life and of the power of the human spirit to resist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623710767
Publisher:	Interlink Publishing Group, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	194 KB

About the Author

One of the Arab world’s most important writers, Ibrahim al-Koni has been called a master of magical realism and the evocation of the desert. He has distinguished himself for being brilliantly able to create so many ramifications around the simple world of the desert in Western Libya, proving as few have that human nature and the human condition are the same everywhere. He now lives in Europe. This is his first novel to be translated into English.

Editorial Reviews

This spare novel, its prominent Libyan author's first to reach English translation, is a winning combination of ecological fable, political statement, and lyrical lament for the past. The focal character is Asouf, a herdsman who lives essentially alone with his goats in a mountainous desert region all but untouched by the modern age. Asouf's peace is routinely disrupted by the "Christian tourists" who flock to observe ancient religious paintings hidden away on the walls of honeycombed caves, and more severely threatened by ebullient "Westerners" who enlist him to guide their hunt for the moufflon, a species of wild sheep believed to be a sacred animal. The story's melodramatic apocalyptic finale seems slightly forced, but in no way dissipates the power of al-Koni's subtle dramatization of irreconcilable cultural misunderstanding and enmity.

Kirkus Reviews

"A winning combination of ecological fable, political statement, and lyrical lament for the past."

"A strong ecological message. Harshly critical...discusses at length the mess man has made of the planet...Ibrahim al-Koni has created a moving tale of dreams and nightmares, reflection and violence, greed and gluttony, wonder and terror. Considered by many to be Libya's leading novelist, al-Koni is a master of magical realism and the evocation of the desert. This is his first novel to be translated into English. Hopefully, it will soon be followed by many more."

From the Publisher

"A strong ecological message. Harshly critical...discusses at length the mess man has made of the planet...Ibrahim al-Koni has created a moving tale of dreams and nightmares, reflection and violence, greed and gluttony, wonder and terror. Considered by many to be Libya's leading novelist, al-Koni is a master of magical realism and the evocation of the desert. This is his first novel to be translated into English. Hopefully, it will soon be followed by many more."

The Journal of Libyan Studies