Youssef Ziedan's Azazeel

       Youssef Ziedan's 2009 International Prize for Arabic Fiction-winning novel, Azazeel, is apparently due out in the UK from Atlantic Books soon (pre-order your copy at Amazon.co.uk; there's no publicity information at the publisher's site yet).
       It came out in German last year, and Qantara.de now publish a translation of Andreas Pflitsch's review.
       Pflitsch finds:

Ziedan goes well beyond the pure suspense of popular literature in his portrayal of the conflicts of conscience in the mind of his hero, and his wanderings through the desert of his own personality.

With its concern for the danger of running aground in religious dispute, of the abuse of power, violence and the instrumentalisation of hatred, the book, which will be available in English translation next month, can be seen as a parable about the current state of the Middle East and a plea for religious tolerance.

       I certainly hope I'm able to get my hands on a copy eventually.