{"product_id":"a-calamity-of-noble-houses-by-amira-ghenim","title":"A Calamity of Noble Houses by Amira Ghenim","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA finalist for the 2021 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, a compelling saga of two families that illuminates the lives of women in modern Tunisia \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTunisia, 1930s. Against the backdrop of a country in turmoil, in search of its identity, the lives and destinies of the members of two important upper-class families of Tunis intertwine: the Ennaifer family, with a rigidly conservative and patriarchal mentality, and the Rassaa, open-minded and progressive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne terrible night in December 1935, the destiny of both families changes forever when Zbaida Ali Rassaa, the young wife of Mohsen Ennaifer, is accused of having had a clandestine love affair with Tahar Haddad, an intellectual of humble origins known for his union activism and support for women's rights. The events of that fateful night are told by eleven different narrators, members of the two families, who recall them in different historical moments, from the 1940s to the present day. The result is a complex mosaic of secrets, memories, accusations, regrets, and emotions, taking the reader on an exciting journey through the stories of individuals caught up in the upheavals of history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmira Ghenim\u003c\/b\u003e is a Tunisian writer and academic, born in 1978. She teaches Linguistics and Translation at Tunis University. Her novel \u003ci\u003eThe Yellow Dossier \u003c\/i\u003ewon the 2020 Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamad Prize. \u003ci\u003eA Calamity of Noble Houses\u003c\/i\u003e was published in 2020.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMiled Faiza\u003c\/b\u003e is a poet, translator, and senior lecturer at Brown University. Among his translations are the Booker Prize-shortlisted novel \u003ci\u003eAutumn\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eWinter\u003c\/i\u003e by Ali Smith. Together with Karen McNeil, he has translated the 2016 IPAF winner \u003ci\u003eThe Italian\u003c\/i\u003e by Shukri Mabkhout (Europa, 2021). He teaches Arabic at Brown University.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKaren McNeil\u003c\/b\u003e is an Arabic-to-English translator. Together with Miled Faiza, she has translated the 2016 IPAF winner \u003ci\u003eThe Italian\u003c\/i\u003e by Shukri Mabkhout (Europa, 2021), as well as poems and short stories for \u003ci\u003eBanipal\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWorld Literature Today\u003c\/i\u003e. She was a revising editor of the \u003ci\u003eOxford Arabic Dictionary\u003c\/i\u003e (2014) and is currently completing a Ph.D. in Arabic linguistics at Georgetown University, with a focus on the sociolinguistics of Tunisia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2025\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHardcover\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Europe Editions","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52850023891229,"sku":"9798889660507","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0511\/5897\/files\/Screenshot2026-09-02at3.27.44pm.png?v=1788377333","url":"https:\/\/www.middleeastbooks.com\/products\/a-calamity-of-noble-houses-by-amira-ghenim","provider":"Middle East Books and More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}