Abdelrahman Munif
In the opinion of many, Abdelrahman Munif (1933-2004) was the most important author in the Arab world during the late 20th century. His magnificent trilogy, Cities of Salt, has been described by Edward Said as "The only serious work of fiction that tries to show the effect of oil, Americans and the local oligarchy on a Gulf country."
Abdelrahman Munif was born in Jordan in 1933 into a trading family of Saudi Arabian origin. He was stripped of his Saudi citizenship for political reasons. He studied law at Baghdad and Cairo universities and took a PhD in oil economics at the University of Belgrade. During his oil industry career he served as director of crude oil marketing. In Baghdad he edited a monthly periodical, al-Naft wa al-Tanmiyya (Oil and Development). He later became a full-time writer and spent the rest of his life in Syria.
Obituaries: The Guardian, Counterpunch
Tool for change: Abd al-Rahman Munif remembered
A special issue of the MIT Electronic Journal of Middle East Studies focusing on Munif's life and work (Vol 7, Spring 2007).
Translated works
Cities of Salt: A Novel
Paperback, 1989
Available from amazon.com or amazon.co.uk
Story of a City: A Childhood in Amman
Abd Al-Rahman Munif, Samira Kawar. Paperback.
Available from amazon.co.uk
The Trench (Cities of Salt Trilogy, Vol 2)
Peter Theroux (translator). Paperback, 1993
Available from amazon.com
The Trench (The Cities of Salt Trilogy, Vol 2)
Available from amazon.com
Variations on Night and Day
Peter Theroux (translator).
Available from amazon.com
Variations on Night and Day
Peter Theroux (translator).
Available from amazon.com
