Bamboo Stalk

Saud Alsanousi is a Kuwaiti novelist and journalist, born in 1981. His work has appeared in a number of Kuwaiti publications, including Al-Watan newspaper and Al-Arabi and he currently writes for Al-Qabas newspaper. He lives in Kuwait City. Jonathan Wright has translated a dozen novels and other major works from Arabic to English, starting in 2008 after thirty years as a journalist, mostly in the Middle East. He won the 2013 Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation for Youssef Ziedan's Azazeel and the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2014 for his translation of Hassan Blasim's The Iraqi Christ.

Ambitious, cultivated and brave Financial Times Saud Alsanousi is an important emerging literary voice Susan Abulhawa, author of Mornings in Jenin Alsanousi is a voice of conscience -- Boyd Tonkin The Independent Engrossing, political and heartfelt -- Bidisha Great wit and lightness of touch. Truly cosmopolitan and deeply humane -- Robin Yassin-Kabab, author of The Road from Damascus The National A bold, heart-felt indictment against racism in Arab society. A narrative with power and resonance, which captivates the reader with its artful simplicity and its endearing protagonist -- Leila Aboulela, prize-winning author of Lyrics Alley