A Mahfouz Medal-winner that weaves together a tender tale of bittersweet love between a mother and son.

Alia Mamdouh was born in Baghdad in 1944 and has been a journalist and writer for over thirty years. She has published four novels, two collections of short stories, and numerous critical essays. Since going into exile in 1982, she has lived and worked in London, Cairo, and Beirut.

Marilyn Booth has translated fiction and autobiography from Egypt and Lebanon. She received her B.A. from Harvard-Radcliffe and her D.Phil. from Oxford University, and has taught at Brown University and the American University in Cairo.

Hélène Cixous is one of the most prominent cultural and political thinkers in the world. Her work has transformed both feminism and literary criticism. In Paris, she sits as chair at the Centre de Recherches en Etudes Feminines, which she founded.