Here is how The Arab Weekly describes Yasser Abdel Hafez’s novel The Book of Safety, translated by Robin Moger (Hoopoe, 2017).
“British translator Robin Moger beguiles the reader with his skillful translation of Yasser Abdel Hafez’s novel “The Book of Safety.” Winner of the 2017 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, Moger’s skill is indisputable. He captures all the vibrancy and nuance of the original Arabic, never sacrificing the flow of the text.
As a result, The Book of Safety reads organically, without compromise, enveloping the reader fully into a familiar but parallel world, rich with eccentric characters and thought-provoking philosophy.
Set in a modern, dystopian-esque Cairo, Hafez’s novel follows Khaled Mamoun, a transcriber at the Palace of Confessions, a state-run agency shrouded in mystery. Mamoun is, by all definitions, a spectator, with no stories of his own to tell.” Read the complete review.
