Leila Aboulela – författare

Longlisted for the Orange Prize 2011''Haunting'' Telegraph''A story for all the senses'' Aminatta Forna''A superb family epic . . . vivid, beautifully original'' The HeraldSet in 1950s Sudan, Lyrics Alley is the story of the powerful and sprawling Abuzeid dynasty. With Mahmoud Bey at its helm, the family can do no wrong. But when Mahmoud''s son, Nur - the brilliant, charming heir to his business empire - suffers a near-fatal accident, his hopes of university and a glittering future are dashed. Subsequently, his betrothal to his cousin and sweetheart, Soraya is broken off. As British rule is coming to an end, and the country is torn between modernising influences and the call of traditions past, the family is divided. Mahmoud''s second wife, Nabilah, longs to return to Egypt and leave behind the dust of ''backward-looking'' Sudan. His first wife, Waheeba, is confined to her open-air kitchen and resents Nabilah''s influence on Mahmoud. Meanwhile, Nur must find a way to live again in the world and find peace. Moving from the villages of Sudan to cosmopolitan Cairo and a decimated post-colonial Britain, this is a sweeping tale of love, loss, faith and reconciliation.

When Akuany and her brother are orphaned in a village raid, they''re taken in by a young merchant Yaseen who promises to care for them, a vow that tethers him to Akuany through their adulthood. As revolution begins to brew, led by the self-proclaimed Mahdi, Sudan begins to prise itself from Ottoman rule, and everyone must choose a side.

Yaseen feels beholden to stand against this false Mahdi, a decision that threatens to splinter his family. Meanwhile, Akuany moves through her young adulthood and across the country alone, sold and traded from house to house, with only Yaseen as her intermittent lifeline. Their struggle mirrors the increasingly bloody struggle for Sudan itself - for freedom, safety and the possibility of love.

River Spirit illuminates a fraught and bloody reckoning with the history of a people caught in the crosshairs of imperialism. This is a powerful tale of corruption, coming of age and unshakeable devotion - to a cause, to one''s faith and to the people who become family.

The new novel from three times Orange Prize longlisted Leila AboulelaNatasha Wilson knows how difficult it is to fit in. Born to a Russian mother and a Muslim father, she feels adrift in Scotland and longs for a place which really feels like home.Then she meets Oz, a charismatic and passionate student at the university where Natasha teaches. As their bond deepens, stories from Natasha''s research come to life - tales of forbidden love and intrigue in the court of the Tsar.But when Oz is suspected of radicalism, Natasha''s own work and background suddenly come under the spotlight. As suspicions grow around her, and friends and colleagues back away, Natasha stands to lose the life she has fought to build.

* A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2019 *

* SHORTLISTED FOR THE SALTIRE FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019 *

* LONGLISTED FOR THE HIGHLAND BOOK PRIZE 2019 *

''BIRD SUMMONS is a magic carpet ride into the forest of history and the lives of women. Deep and wild'' Lucy Ellmann, Booker-shortlisted author of DUCKS, NEWBURYPORT

Salma, happily married, tries every day to fit into life in Britain. When her first love contacts her, she is tempted to risk it all and return to Egypt.Moni gave up a career in banking to care for her disabled son, but now her husband wants to move to Saudi Arabia - where she fears her son''s condition will worsen. Iman feels burdened by her beauty. In her twenties and already in her third marriage, she is treated like a pet and longs for freedom. On a road trip to the Scottish Highlands, the women are visited by the Hoopoe, a sacred bird whose fables from Muslim and Celtic literature compel them to question the balance between faith and femininity, love, loyalty and sacrifice. Brilliantly imagined, intense and haunting, Bird Summons confirms Leila Aboulela''s reputation as one of our finest contemporary writers.