Yesterday would have been his birthday, and at her Arabic Literature (in English) M. Lynx Qualey took the occasion to wonder On an 81st Birthday: Why Does Abdelrahman Munif Not Make the 'World Literature' Canon ?
I'm not sure he doesn't -- but he does seem to have had a difficult time truly establishing himself in English: Cities of Salt seems to have remained in print (in the US) since its publication a quarter of a century ago (get your copy at Amazon.com), but amazingly (and pretty outrageously) the quintet still hasn't been translated in its entirety.
Particularly useful: the look she takes at John Updike's review of Cities of Salt in The New Yorker, back in the day. Updike admirably reviewed fiction from all over the world -- in good depth, too --, one of the few American reviewers of note (and, equally importantly, one reaching a larger audience) who did so consistently, but, yeah, he over-reached on occasion. So certainly here .....
I'm not sure he doesn't -- but he does seem to have had a difficult time truly establishing himself in English: Cities of Salt seems to have remained in print (in the US) since its publication a quarter of a century ago (get your copy at Amazon.com), but amazingly (and pretty outrageously) the quintet still hasn't been translated in its entirety.
Particularly useful: the look she takes at John Updike's review of Cities of Salt in The New Yorker, back in the day. Updike admirably reviewed fiction from all over the world -- in good depth, too --, one of the few American reviewers of note (and, equally importantly, one reaching a larger audience) who did so consistently, but, yeah, he over-reached on occasion. So certainly here .....