On Sleepless Nights

I must start this off by saying that I am not the intended audience of this book—this may be evident, given that all the other reviews are in Arabic. But in truth, most Arabs aren’t the audience for this book either, excepting those in North Africa. As a result, I don’t know that it is my place to write a review of this interesting work.

Ali Du’aji is an interesting writer. Known as the Father of the Tunisian Short Story, he wrote primarily in Darija, which many Arabs struggle to understand. These stories are a window into early to mid 20th century Tunisian life, with traditional clothing and traditions existing alongside trains and automobiles. The themes of the stories range considerably, from the experiences of prostitutes and barbers to interpretations of Quranic/Talmudic/Biblical parables, as well as descriptions of poverty and everyday life.

Admittedly, there were some stories that made little sense to me. Judging by the high reviews of this book, I’m sure it’s more a result of content lost in translation (although whether the thing being translated is culture or language or both is something that I’m unsure of). Nevertheless, this book is one of my early forays into Tunisian fiction and I found it a pleasure to read.