Street of Affections

Abdullah Bin Bakheet

Street of Affections

In Street of Affections (Dar Al-Saqi, Beirut, 2009), Abdullah Bin Bakheet tells the story of three ruined lives from within Saudi Arabia’s hidden history. The storyline focuses on: Naser, a teenage boy who is violated by the men of Affections Street and who later, in his madness, murders anybody who married his beloved cousin; of Shanghafa; the disabled slave who in freedom finds himself enslaved by an inner prison and whose quarrelsome, drunken ways ultimately lead to his execution and lastly the story of Sa'd, the son of a poor family, who becomes enamoured of a prostitute on the mysterious Pearl Island. In a language filled with local colour and the experience of deprivation, Abdullah Bin Bakheet gives to the marginalised a voice with which to express their tragedies.

Nomination

2010 Longlist