The political prison — Egyptian, Iraqi, Syrian, Moroccan — has produced one of the most morally serious bodies of writing in modern Arabic. The list below is a small sampling.
01
That Smell
A recently-released political prisoner readjusting to Cairo. Banned on first publication for its frankness.
03
Saddam City
A novel drawn directly from the writer's experience in multiple Iraqi prisons under the Ba'th.
04
This Blinding Absence of Light
A novel of the Tazmamart prison in Morocco; based on the testimony of a survivor.