ISBN: 9780863569166

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Saqi Books, 2022
Language: English

Malika Moustadraf is a cult feminist icon in contemporary Moroccan literature, celebrated for her uncompromising depiction of life on the margins.

Something Strange, Like Hunger presents Moustadraf’s collected short fiction: haunting, visceral stories by a master of the genre. Here, we tune into Casablanca’s unheard: a sex worker struggling to keep warm on the streets; a housewife flirting with strangers online; a kidney patient, priced-out of treatment, facing the harsh reality of his condition; and a mother scheming to ensure her daughter passes a virginity test.

Something Strange, Like Hunger is a sharp provocation to patriarchal power, and a celebration of the life and genius of one of Morocco’s preeminent writers.

Translated by Alice Guthrie.

Malika Moustadraf (1969–2006) was a writer from Casablanca, Morocco, celebrated for her distinctive style and experimental language. An exacting social critic, she wrote unflinchingly about life in the margins and was persecuted for her taboo-busting subject matter. Denied the life-saving treatment she needed, Moustadraf died at thirty-seven of kidney disease, leaving behind a semiautobiographical novel and a collection of short stories. Something Strange, Like Hunger is the first full-length translation of her work into any language.