The Fall Of Imam [Paperback]

Nawal El Saadawi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0863563961 | ISBN-13: 978-0863563966

This powerful and poetic novel by "Egypt's most interesting feminist" (Booklist ) raises awareness of the predicament of women in Egypt. The book tells the story of Bint Allah, a beautiful illegitimate girl, whose father is the Imam—the religious ruler in Islamic society believed to be representative of God. Bint Allah is falsely accused by the Imam of adulterous relationships, then sentenced to death by stoning. It is through the eyes of Bint Allah that one can see the underlying hypocrisy of a male-dominated religious state.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“El-Saadawi writes beautifully and in abundant and evocative physical detail of an Egypt that remains closely tied to the land and to a way of life that in many respects has not changed for centuries.” —Publishers Weekly

“More than any other woman, El-Saadawi has come to embody the trials of Arab feminism.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“El-Saadawi is a straight shooter and one of the most controversial writers of the latter half of this century.” —Library Journal

Book Description

This powerful and poetic novel by "Egypt's most interesting feminist" (Booklist ) raises awareness of the predicament of women in Egypt. The book tells the story of Bint Allah, a beautiful illegitimate girl, whose father is the Imam—the religious ruler in Islamic society believed to be representative of God. Bint Allah is falsely accused by the Imam of adulterous relationships, then sentenced to death by stoning. It is through the eyes of Bint Allah that one can see the underlying hypocrisy of a male-dominated religious state.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Saqi Books (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863563961
• ISBN-13: 978-0863563966
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,865,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, Complex and A Bit of a Challenge, January 2, 2008

By 

Amanda D. Muir (Tempe, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fall Of Imam (Paperback)

The interwoven stories of residents of an unspecified Egyptian town and the Imam for whom their worlds revolve, The Fall of the Imam is profound, poetic, and complex. The narration is uncovential in English and does pose some challenge for English speaking readers. First person and third person narration seem to be employed interchangeably, with the perspective switching from character to character frequently. I suspect that in the Arabic in which it was written, The Fall of the Imam is beautiful and brilliant. The English translation, however, may prove somewhat difficult for western readers. Regardless, it is a worthwhile read and does provide a glimpse into a world many westerners are largely unfamiliar with.

11 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Fall of the Imam, December 29, 2005

By 

Naqi S. Raza - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fall Of Imam (Paperback)

This book is an account of a patriarchal society in a middle eastern country. Suffice to say it contains a heavy dose of realism and confusing metaphors simultaneously. I found the storyline hard to follow; too much switching between characters; and once again the metaphors were extremely confusing and hard to follow. All in all it seems as though the book has been written in arabic and translated word for word without consideration of any gramatical writing effects.