Bahbel: Makkah Multiverseباهبل

Shortlisted for the 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (Arab Booker), «Bahbel:Makkah Multiverse» by Saudi writer Rima Bali.

The Al-Sardars are a typical example of an ancient and noble family in Makkah. Into this family, where the father controls every aspect of their lives, a child is born – Abbas (Bahbel) – as one of a pair of twins; yet the midwife says the other twin has ‘disappeared’. Abbas grows up close to the women of the family, and decides to write about their lives. Through this novel, we see Makkah – and in particular, the lives of women living there – from 1945 to 2009, a period of huge change in a city dominated by the presence of sacred shrines. - (arabicfiction.org)

About the author
Raja Alem is a Saudi novelist born in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, in 1975, who currently resides in Paris. She began her writing career publishing work in the cultural supplement of the Riyadh newspaper and formerly wrote experimental plays for the theatre. Her most notable novels include «The Silk Road» (1995), «The Holy Man», Wahadanah (1998), «Khatem» (2007), «The Doves’ Necklace» (2010) and «Sarab» (2018), which was published in English and German.