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about the authors & works
Ibrahim al-Koni
Ibrahim al-Koni (born in Libya, 1948) is a prolific Arabic novelist,
born to a nomadic Saharan family. His first language is Tamasheq,
he grew up as a Tuareg and remains a prime authority on Tuareg
culture and folklore, which is very influential on his writing. He
was educated in Moscow and Switzerland, and presently lives in
Spain. Al-Koni has written more than eighty volumes in Arabic
language.
The Scarecrow
is the last of three volumes from his
New Waw
trilogy, depicting the founding, flourishing, and decline, in greed
and corruption, of a Saharan oasis. Although chronological, plot
is not central to this story, freely mixing spiritual with temporal
reality – so the trilogy can be read in any order. The book opens
with a forum of conspirators who have assassinated a community
leader and are trying to elect a new leader. This work is not yet
available in book form in English.
Translated from Arabic by William M. Hutchins.