Quotes
“Renders the complex social landscape of the Middle East and North Africa with subtlety and finesse…Yet one doesn’t need to care about the region’s history, or its present-day contexts, to enjoy Moving the Palace…brio and Majdalani’s richly textured prose are reason enough.” Wall Street Journal
“A Middle Eastern heart-of-darkness tale that flows like a dream, occasionally turning nightmarish, but is always rendered with a hypnotic quality beautifully captured in Edward Gauvin’s elegant translation…Majdalani’s novels are much praised in the Francophone world and with good reason. His seductive prose twists and turns, deftly matching hallucinatory content with form.” New York Times Sunday Book Review
“The reader remains captivated long after having completed this epic and comic novel.” Le Monde (Paris)
“Charming and gently humorous…Majdalani’s writing sparkles…Those looking for an enjoyable and brisk literary adventure will be very satisfied.” Publishers Weekly
“This utterly charming and, yes, moving novel takes us on a journey…and the result is a victory of human ingenuity and a joyous picaresque…Beautiful fun that also gives a deeper sense of Middle East history.” Library Journal
“Through this fascinating adventure, Charif Majdalani constructs one of the most beautiful epics I’ve ever read.” Antoine Volodine, author of Minor Angels
“Charif Majdalani has a ripping yarn to tell and tells it with a raconteur’s bravura. Transporting, wholly engaging, deeply moving. This book is why I travel and why I read.” Andrew McCarthy, author of Just Fly Away
“An eloquent, captivating excursion through a Middle East history that is more relevant today than ever.” Rawi Hage, author of De Niro’s Game