Men in the Sun

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Men in the Sun (Arabic, رجال في الشمس rijāl fī-a-shams) is a novel by Palestinian writer and political activist Ghassan Kanafani (1936-72), originally published in 1963.

It tells of the dramatic voyage of three Palestinian refugees, who have left their refugee camps and are attempting to reach oil-booming Kuwait in the hope of finding work. It is one of the most famous works of modern Arabic literature, and has been translated into many languages. Its description of the hardships and insecurity of Palestinian refugee life, and its political and psychological subtext (subtly criticising corruption, political passivity and defeatism within Arab and Palestinian society) had a strong impact on the Arab cultural and political debate of the time; it also helped break new ground in Arabic literature through using modernist narrative structures and storytelling methods.

Men in the Sun has been filmed as al-Makhduun (The Deceived), by Egyptian director Tawfiq Saleh. The film was banned in several Arab countries due to its criticisms of Arab governments.

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