The Star of Algiers

By Aziz Chouaki

Book Overview

"The Star of Algiers powerfully depicts youth in distress, caught between the lure of the West and the mosque." --BIBA

"We share his stage fright before each new gig. We are fired with his boundless energy. And once we've taken off, we come crashing down with him . . . Everything is human, alive and transparent." --Elle, France

Moussa Massy's ambitions extend far beyond the three-room apartment he shares with the other thirteen members of his family in Algiers. A gifted performer of modern Kabyle song, he is as inspired by Prince and Michael Jackson as he is by Arab and Algerian traditional music. His first taste of fame, however, is brief, as the conflict between the fundamental Islamic group FIS and the more progressive FLN grows more violent and the city comes to a standstill amid corruption and scandal. As his music career begins to disintegrate, like the city itself, Massy's driving passion for music turns to unforgiving rage.

In energetic, urgent prose, Aziz Chouaki vividly portrays the harsh realities of a country in constant turmoil and brilliantly shows the capacity for despair and hatred of those who have nothing left to lose. Available for the first time in English, The Star of Algiers, a novel of great passion and originality, touches on the most contentious issues of our time.

A Lannan Translation Series Selection

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555974120
• ISBN13: 9781555974121
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Graywolf Press
• Length: 213 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Religion and its Discontents

This a terrific novel that deserves to be much better known than it is .It is the only novel I've read dealing with Algierias' terrible civil war .It captures the mind of a person who becomes a religious fanatic, murderer.What grabs you is he is shown to have been ,by western standards, a normal person until a series of misfortunes and mishaps drive him to seek refuge in an awful certainty that makes killing natural and right.It is one of those books that should make you think a little about whether -and I'm putting this mildly- the religous sensibility is a positive force in modern society.The author draws a vibrant , exciting portrait of his country that is both exotic to the westerner and utterly familiar.You know these people quite well.They may speak Arabic but they are all too like your neighbors.