A journalist stationed for seven years in the Middle East explodes many myths about life and culture in the region. He examines the reality of Muslim fanatics, the overwhelming wealth and power of the ruling royal families, and the vast gulf in understanding between Arabia and the West.

Abd al-Hakim Qasim (1935-1990), one of modern Egypt's great novelists, began writing short stories while imprisoned for his leftwing politics under the Nasser regime in the 1960s. This period in Qasim's life, along with his subsequent exile in Germany and his opposition to the Camp David agreement, led him to avoid political commentary in his writing. He focused on people and events in the Egyptian village and the down-to-earth Sufi Islam practiced there. Still, the history of his political beliefs ensured his work would remain controversial, and most was published abroad in Beirut or...

Peter Theroux, as a brilliant translator and writer, has taught western readers about the Arabic world. Now, with Translating LA, Theroux crosses new borders in southern California. With great wit and energy, he shows us the Los Angeles we have not understood well enough. He deconstructs and reconstructs the city famous for its separate freeway exits until finally and for the first time (like newcomers from a foreign land) we see Los Angeles whole. Richard Rodriguez"

From one of the most highly regarded writers of Arabic literature, Trench is the second volume in the epic quintet Cities of Salt. Tracing the economic history of the Arabic world, Munif picks up where Vol. I left off, with the effects of the discovery of oil reserves in the region beginning to show their true colors. Following The Doctor as he is invited by the Sultan of Harran, the character watches as the royalty succumbs to corruption and greed, and in turn, the political and natural destruction of his homeland.

Praise for Trench

"Munif's wonderful novel is a...