The Bamboo Stalk
| Author | Saud Alsanousi |
|---|---|
| Language | Arabic |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Arab Scientific Publishers, Inc. |
Publication date | 15 May 2012 |
| Publication place | Lebanon |
| Pages | 396 pp (paperback) |
The Bamboo Stalk (Arabic: ساق البامبو) is a 2012 novel by Kuwaiti writer Saud Alsanousi,[1][2] for which he won the State Prize for Literature in Kuwait in 2012, and the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (known as the Arabic Booker Prize) in 2013,[3][4][5], making Alsanousi the youngest Arab writer and first Kuwaiti author to receive this prestigious award.
Set between Kuwait and the Philippines, the novel follows the complex journey of José Mendoza/Issa, the son of a Filipina domestic worker and her wealthy Kuwaiti employer. Struggling with a fragmented identity, José navigates the invisible borders of race, class, faith and belonging, caught between two cultures that each reject part of who he is. His search for identity and acceptance becomes a powerful exploration of class divides, cultural prejudice and the intertwining of faith and culture in Arab societies.
The narrative has since reached international audiences, being translated into fourteen languages, and was adapted into a Kuwaiti television series, Saq Al Bamboo, which premiered during Ramadan 2016 and sparked both high viewership and public debate for its sensitive portrayal of cultural taboos and social divisions.
The novel has been translated into English,[6] Italian, Persian,[7] Turkish,[8] Chinese, Korean,[9] Romanian, Kurdish,[10] Macedonian, Filipino,[11] Somali,[12] Croatian,[13] Malayalam,[14] and Indonesian.[15]
Awards
- Awarded the State Encouragement Award in Literature for the novel (2012).
- won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF - Arabic Booker) in 2013.
- Awarded the Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation to the English translation of by Jonathan Wright (2016).
References
- ^ "الدار العربية للعلوم ناشرون". 2019-04-03. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ Alsanousi, Saud (2015-04-23). The Bamboo Stalk. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-9927-101-78-6.
- ^ "The Bamboo Stalk | International Prize for Arabic Fiction". www.arabicfiction.org. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ Qualey, M. Lynx (2015-05-23). "The Bamboo Stalk – rags-to-riches tale that holds a mirror to Kuwaiti society". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "Saud Alsanousi's The Bamboo Stalk: A Review — Kalimat Magazine". kalimatmagazine.com. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "تزامنًا مع طبعتها العشرين.. "ساق البامبو" فى ترجمتها الإنجليزية - اليوم السابع". اليوم السابع. 2019-01-23. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "جريدة الجريدة الكويتية | «ساق البامبو» إلى الفارسية". 2020-08-11. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "ترجمة تركية لرواية "ساق البامبو" لـ"سعود السنعوسى" الفائزة بـ"البوكر" - اليوم السابع". 2019-01-12. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "صدور الترجمة الكورية لرواية "ساق البامبو"". 2020-09-22. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "صدور الترجمة الكورية لرواية "ساق البامبو"". Archived from the original on 21 April 2019.
- ^ "جريدة الجريدة الكويتية | «ساق البامبو» تصدر في نسختها الفلبينية". 2021-10-26. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "جريدة الجريدة الكويتية | «ساق البامبو» تصدر بنسختها الصومالية". 2020-11-01. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "جريدة الجريدة الكويتية | «ساق البامبو» تصدر بنسخة... كرواتية". 2022-02-06. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "جريدة الجريدة الكويتية | «ساق البامبو» تصدر باللغة المالايالامية". 2022-06-09. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "«ساق البامبو» تصدر باللغة الإندونيسية - جريدة الجريدة الكويتية". 2024-08-31. Archived from the original on 31 August 2024. Retrieved 2025-01-30.