Musk Al-Kifaya - Biography of the Free Lady of the Shadows

Author's name: Basem Khandakji

Musk Al-Kifaya - The Biography of the Free Lady of the Shadows by Basem Khandakji ... There is a region in the south of the Arabian Peninsula that has rebelled against the rule of the Abbasid Caliph, and a detachment of soldiers from the army of Abu Jaafar Al-Mansur has come to subjugate it. Parallel to this bloody scene, there is a poor family from Shabwa in Hadramaut, whose breadwinner died ten years ago. The loyal mother and her eldest son have gone to work in the fields to earn a living for the family. At the center of the narrative is a beautiful girl, the heroine of the novel, whom fate takes to where she never expected, to become, in the author's opinion, the Free Lady of the Shadows, and to confront and triumph over the masculinity of history. From here, it is necessary to pay attention to the details of the scene that precedes the moment of surprise: a slender, captivating girl, her mother constantly worried about her, and the girl unable to stay at home, so she goes to the field carrying food to her brother. On the way, the commander of the soldiers arrests her, thinking that she is carrying food for the rebels against the Caliph. He is amazed by her beauty, and with one sentence he judges the course of her subsequent life: You will be my gift to my lord the Caliph. We are faced with a remarkable novel experience, which refers to an era we have previously read about in history books, but here we are faced with a world personified by human ambitions, their plots, and their defense of themselves, even if it comes at the expense of others who are not guilty or guilty. Bassem embodied all of this in a beautiful and enjoyable narration, and in a language that is sufficiently poetic, and with quotations from Arabic poetry and prose and from historical narratives, and with skillful dialogues capable of revealing the anguish and secrets of souls. It is a novel worth reading, and I cannot miss in this regard to send my warmest greetings and wishes for a speedy release to the imprisoned novelist and poet: Bassem Khandaji Mahmoud Shukair