That Smell and Notes from Prison (Ndp)That Smell is Sonallah Ibrahims modernist masterpiece and one of the most influential Arabic novels. Composed in the wake of a five year prison sentence, the semi autobiographical story follows a recently released political prisoner as he wanders through Cairo, adrift in his native city. That Smell is Sonallah Ibrahims modernist masterpiece and one of the most influential novels written in Arabic since WWII. Composed after a five year term in prison,

Glimpses of the artist reflecting upon his life

at society’s often troubling relationship with female beauty

incorporating figures from pop culture

an array of worlds whose divergent societies—the result of both evolution and genetic engineering—allow her to speculate on what is intrinsic in human nature

intensely analyzed partnerships in the history of art

and includes his earliest photographs as well as images taken inside Rikers Island

edited by Jonathan Lethem

During those years

and the universal need for connection span centuries

translated by the celebrated translator and scholar

the government bans them from Earth

tells a story