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Waciny Laredj



Waciny Laredj's Les Fantômes de Jérusalem [The ghosts of Jerusalem].

This novel looks like it is this author's latest translated novel to have appeared in French.  It was out on 4 May 2012 published by Actes Sud.  Cant' wait to get my hands on it, definitely my next read after Aziz Chouaki.


Waciny Laredj (al-3aradj الأعرج ) is a contemporary Algerian novelist who writes in Arabic.  Born in 1954. He has been translated in French quite widely but no English. I mean NONE (that I can find).  Darn it, can someone please translate him into English!

The fantastic ArabLit blog compiled an excellent profile for him HERE.


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