The Forbidden Woman (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780803282407)

The Forbidden Woman tells the story of Sultana, an Algerian woman doctor who, after years spent living in France, returns to her native village in order to attend the funeral of a former lover. The clash between her origins and the Westernized life she now leads is explored in telling detail against the backdrop of current events in Algeria. A work that combines insight into both political and personal matters, The Forbidden Woman develops a complex portrait of a country torn between progress and prejudice, secular life and Islamic fundamentalism.

In this passionate book, Malika Mokeddem places special emphasis on the position of women in modern Algeria. The frequent indignities and injustices suffered by the narrator reflect the plight of women in a society marked by patriarchalism and religious fundamentalism. Yet the novel also suggests that, along with modernization, there are emerging demands for women's rights in Algeria--demands that might well signal a vastly different future for this tormented nation.

Author: Malika Mokeddem
ISBN-10: 0803282400
ISBN-13: 9780803282407
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Language: English
Published: 02/01/1998
Pages: 156
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.53lbs
Size: 7.94h x 6.07w x 0.51d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/1998 pg. 152
Booklist 03/15/1998 pg. 1203
Library Journal 03/15/1998 pg. 94