The Grub Hunter

Shortlisted for the 2011 International Prize for Arab Fiction. After years of convicting novelists for the dangers they present to the nation, secret service agent Farfar decides to finally join them...

After receiving a life-changing injury, Farfar, is forced to retire as an agent and leave his secret service days behind him.

With no work, wife, or close family to fill the void, he struggles to find meaning in his solitary life. That is until he is struck by a surprising idea: to write a novel. Despite putting his fair share of novelists behind bars, the idea sticks.

To hone his skills, Farfar visits a renowned coffeehouse, famous for its mix of strange authors, barefoot poets, and disgraced politicians. In between his bizarre adventures at the cafe, he discovers that his old colleagues are growing more and more suspicious of his actions... In a country tightly controlled by the police, existing in the world of literature is a dangerous and steady path into treason.

Wonderfully curious and full of wit, The Grub Hunter is a sharply original and unforgettable novel.

'By turns funny and moving, [The Grub Hunter] captures the absurdity of modern life under the intrusive eye of a repressive regime.' Guardian
'[Elsir is] a giant among Arabic fiction writers.' Daily News Egypt