Chewing Gum is the debut novel of Libyan writer Mansour Bushnaf, first published in Arabic 2008 in Cairo. It was banned by the Gaddafi regime in Libya. It was first published in English in 2014 by DARF Publishers with a translation by Mona Zaki.

Chewing Gum
First edition
AuthorMansour Bushnaf
Original titleسراب الليل.. العلكة
TranslatorMona Zaki
Cover artistLuke Pajak
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction
PublisherDARF Publishers
Publication date
1 June 2014
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint and Electronic (Paperback & ebook)
Pages125 pp
ISBN978-1-85077-272-9

Plot summary

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The novel centres around Mukhtar, whose father, Omar Efendi, was in the Royal Police Force, and his mother, Rahma, was from a Turco-Libyan family; Mukhtar stands frozen for ten years like a statue in the middle of public park in Libyan capital Tripoli after he was abandoned by his lover, the young and promiscuous Fatma. While the country is gripped with a chewing gum craze, different Libyan professors that just came from their studies abroad try to rediscover the country and suggest different theories to explain a society gripped with chewing gum and consumerism.

Characters

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  • Mukhtar - The Hero
  • Fatma - The Heroine
  • Omar Effendi - Mukhtar's Father
  • Ghouiliya - A Prostitute
  • Rahma - MuKhtar's Mother
  • Uthman - Rahma's Friend

Reviews

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