Cities of Salt (Masterplots II: World Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Abdelrahman Munif
- First Published: 1984
- Type of Work: Naturalism
- Time of Work: , from World War I to 1953; , from 1953 to 1962
- Setting: Saudi Arabia
- Principal Characters: Mut‘ib al-Hadhdhal, The Prince, Ibn Rashid, Khaz‘al, Subhi al-Mahmalji, Hammad, Wadad, Samir
- Genres: Long fiction, Naturalistic literature
- Subjects: 1950’s, Politics, 1940’s, Doctors, 1910’s, 1920’s, 1930’s, Kings, queens, or royalty, Middle East, Technology, Oil wells or oil-well drilling, Arabs, Bedouins
- Locales: Saudi Arabia
The Novel
Mudun al-milh (cities of salt) narrates the story of the discovery of oil in the Arabian Peninsula and the radical impact of that discovery on the physical and human landscape. Although the kingdom in which the action takes place is never mentioned by name, it is clear that the reference is to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the novel, the cities of Harran and Muran represent the major Saudi Arabian cities that developed in the aftermath of the discovery of oil during the first decades of the twentieth century.
The action of volume 1 spans the...
[The entire page is 2079 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
- Cities of Salt (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
- Cities of Salt (Magill Book Reviews)
- Cities of Salt (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
- Cities of Salt (Masterplots II: World Fiction Series)