Mauritania

The first Mauritanian novel translated and published in English, I read The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk, translated by Rachael McGill and published by Dedalus Books in 2018. This book was originally written in French.

The story of a young Bedouin woman, at times this novel was culturally specific but her experiences were global, as likely to have happened in England as Mauritania. As I read books written by or detailing women's lives the common threads between cultures are apparent. Mundane description of the everyday takes on more weight as a tool to gather detail about the world, varied outlooks gain importance. This is a serious novel about dehumanisation and the main ways in which women are dehumanised across cultures sit at its centre. Sadly, there are no surprises here but it is thought-provoking, quite sad, inspires anger and I learnt a little about life as a Bedouin.