In the Country of Men
 First edition | |
| Author | Hisham Matar |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
Publication date | 6 July 2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 256 pp |
| ISBN | 978-0-670-91639-9 |
| OCLC | 65468307 |
In the Country of Men is the debut novel of Libyan writer Hisham Matar, first published in 2006 by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Books. It was nominated for the 2006 Man Booker Prize and the Guardian First Book Award. It has so far been translated into 22 languages and was awarded the 2007 Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize as well as a host of international literary prizes. The book was also nominated for the 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award in the U.S.
Plot summary
The book follows the plight of Suleiman, a nine-year-old boy living in Tripoli in Libya, stuck between a father whose clandestine anti-Gaddafi activities bring about searches, stalkings and telephone eavesdroppings by Gaddafi's state police, and a vulnerable young mother who resorts to alcohol to bury her anxiety and anger. The only people he has to turn to are his neighbour Kareem, and his father's best friend Moosa. The book provides a gripping description of Libya under Gaddafi's terror regime, and a beautiful narration of ordinary people's lives as they try to survive the political oppression.
Characters
- Suleiman el Dewani - the nine-year-old narrator
- Faraj el Dewani "Baba" - Suleiman's father
- Najwa "Mama" - Suleiman's mother
- Moosa - Baba's best friend
- Kareem - Suleiman's next-door neighbour and best friend
- Ustath Rashid - Kareem's father and a co-conspirator of Baba; he has already been arrested when the book's narrative begins
- Sharief - a member of the Revolutionary Committee hunting Faraj el Dewani
Reviews
- Christian Science Monitor - Yvonne Zipp
- The Guardian - Kamila Shamsie
- The Independent - David Dabydeen
- Independent on Sunday - Benedicte Page
- New Statesman - Samir el-Youssef
- The Observer - Oscar Turner
- The Telegraph - Katie Owen
- The Times - Celia Brayfield
- The Washington Post - Ron Charles