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In the Spider's Room: A Novel (Hoopoe Fiction) Paperback – September 4, 2018

by Muhammad Abdelnabi (Author), Jonathan Wright (Translator)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 25 ratings
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A sensitive and courageous account of life as a gay man in Egypt and Winner of the 2019 Prix de la Littérature Arabe

Hani was out for an evening stroll near Cairo’s Tahrir Square when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. An informant had identified him, and he was thrown into the back of a police truck. There began a seven-month nightmare as he was swept up, along with fifty other men, in the infamous Queen Boat affair that targeted Egypt’s gay community.

Finally free, but traumatized into speechlessness, Hani writes down the events of his life―his first sexual desires, his relationship with his mother, his marriage of convenience, and his passion for Abdel Aziz, the only man he ever truly loved.

In the Spider’s Room is a bold tale of sexuality and persecution in contemporary Egypt.
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  1. Print length
    264 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Hoopoe
  4. Publication date
    September 4, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    5.1 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9774168755
  7. ISBN-13
    978-9774168758
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Winner of the 2019 Prix de la Littérature Arabe

"This beautifully written and poetic book moved me to tears; it is an ode to freedom and a real act of bravery."—The Guardian

“Beautiful and immensely enjoyable . . . to read In the Spider’s Room is to enter a powerful story.”—Mada Masr

"Written from the perspective of one of the victims of the infamous 2001 Queen Boat scandal, when 52 men were arrested and put on trial in Egypt during a raid on a gay party, In the Spider’s Room is an intense depiction of living in a society that fears and rejects any form of queerness. Unflinching, claustrophobic, and suffocating, Abdelnaby does not shy away from exploring what happens when one is presented with no avenues for expressing their desires and sense of self."—Saleem Haddad, author of Guapa

About the Author

Born in 1977, Muhammad Abdelnabi is the author of two novels and four short-story collections. His The Ghost of Anton Chekov won first prize in the Emerging Writers category of the Sawiris Cultural Award for short-story collections in 2011. In the Spider’s Room was shortlisted for the 2017 International Prize for Arabic Fiction and was joint winner of the 2017 Sawiris Cultural Award for novels in the Emerging Writers category. He lives near Banha in Egypt.

Translator of the winning novel in the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and twice winner of the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, Jonathan Wright was formerly the Reuters bureau chief in Cairo. He has translated Alaa Al Aswany, Youssef Ziedan, and Hassan Blassim. He lives in London, UK.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hoopoe (September 4, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 264 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9774168755
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9774168758
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.1 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
25 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

cookie monster
5.0 out of 5 stars I’d like the author to contact me
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2020
Verified Purchase
I think it’s a story that should be on screen. A haunting tale that needs to be told, so men in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries can find solace in knowing they’re not alone and they are unique and have a place in this world
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J Martin Jellinek
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2018
In the Spider's Room is one of the best gay-themed books I've read in many years. It provides a view into a world that is literally and figuratively quite foreign. It winds around the incarceration of gay men following a raid on the Queen Boat in Cairo and the subsequent mistreatment. Dark as this sounds, the book is loosely stream of conscience in that it move from the childhood to the recovery from incarceration of Hani, the chief protagonist. One is brought into the gay subculture of Cairo, with all the risks and joys that accompany this life. It was instructive and very well written, even in translation.
One person found this helpful
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Luis Serra
5.0 out of 5 stars Pingente
Reviewed in Spain on March 16, 2024
Verified Purchase
Ótima obra para conhecer a vida de algumas comunidades cujos diretos não são ainda respeitados por todos.
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Rosalie
5.0 out of 5 stars A brutal and heartbreaking read
Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2019
Verified Purchase
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about how living as a gay man is in Cairo, Egypt. The author describes the experiences so well and with such intimacy and beauty.
There are quite a few scenes that are violent in nature (physical and sexual) but they are necessary since it is part of the reality of being LGBTQ in this world.
The writing was beautiful and flowed so well, the characters are real, relatable and fascinating. I did not want to be separated from Kareem as he was the kindest and nicest one. Thank you
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Stephen
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed the book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
Enjoyed it and the book enlightened me to what life is like for LGBTQ people in the middle east. 4/5
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