The Grub Hunter

Shortlisted for the 2011 International Prize for Arab Fiction. The Grub Hunter tells the story of a secret service agent who, after years of imprisoning dangerous novelists, decides to join them... When Farfar receives a life-changing injury, he is forced to leave his secret service days behind him. With no family to fill the void, he struggles to find meaning in his new, solitary life. That is until he is struck by an unusual idea: to write a novel. Despite putting his fair share of novelists behind bars, the idea sticks. After visiting a coffeehouse popular among writers, his old colleagues begin to grow suspicious... In a country tightly controlled by the police, the world of literature is a dangerous path into treason. Wonderfully curious and full of wit, The Grub Hunter is a sharply original and unforgettable novel. ''By turns funny and moving, [The Grub Hunter] captures the absurdity of modern life under the intrusive eye of a repressive regime.'' Guardian ''A giant among Arabic fiction writers.'' Daily News Egypt