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A review by raulbime
The Wedding of Zein and Other Stories by Tayeb Salih
3.0
3.5 stars
This is a collection of two short stories and a novella by Sudanese writer Tayeb Salih, known for his novel A Season Of Migration To The North–a personal favourite of mine, which is widely regarded as an African classic. In these stories, as is done in A Season Of Migration To The North, Salih explores the lives of people in rural Sudan. His settings are along the Nile, centering Muslim and agricultural communities. In the eponymous novella the story revolves around a village's reaction to the wedding of Zein. Because of social class (impoverished) and his perceived ugliness Zein is relegated to that position (whose words I loathe to use) of village idiot. So when it is announced that he is to wed one of the prettiest girls in the village also from one of its most prominent families, of course, the village erupts into chaos.
The true gem in this collection is the short story, nestled in between the novella and the first short story, called A Handful of Dates. An exquisite tale of disenchantment as a young boy discovers the cruelty and greed of his grandfather.
This is a collection of two short stories and a novella by Sudanese writer Tayeb Salih, known for his novel A Season Of Migration To The North–a personal favourite of mine, which is widely regarded as an African classic. In these stories, as is done in A Season Of Migration To The North, Salih explores the lives of people in rural Sudan. His settings are along the Nile, centering Muslim and agricultural communities. In the eponymous novella the story revolves around a village's reaction to the wedding of Zein. Because of social class (impoverished) and his perceived ugliness Zein is relegated to that position (whose words I loathe to use) of village idiot. So when it is announced that he is to wed one of the prettiest girls in the village also from one of its most prominent families, of course, the village erupts into chaos.
The true gem in this collection is the short story, nestled in between the novella and the first short story, called A Handful of Dates. An exquisite tale of disenchantment as a young boy discovers the cruelty and greed of his grandfather.