Chewing Gum (novel)

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
Author	Mansour Bushnaf
Original title	سراب الليل.. العلكة
Translator	Mona Zaki
Cover artist	Luke Pajak
Language	English
Genre	Fiction
Publisher	DARF Publishers
Publication date	1 June 2014
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print and Electronic (Paperback & ebook)
Pages	125 pp
ISBN	978-1-85077-272-9

Plot summary

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

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

Reviews

• Winstonsdad's Review of Mansour Bushanf's Chewing Gum, Winstonsdad's Blog, May 19, 2014
• Bookshy Review of Mansour Bushnaf's Chewing Gum, Bookshy An African Book Lover blog, July 3, 2014
• Nahla Ink Review of Mansour Bushnaf's Chewing Gum, Nahla Ink Blog, July 15, 2014
• Ramblings of an Elfpire Review of Chewing Gum By Mansour Bushnaf, Ramblings of an Elfpire, September 30, 2014
• By the Book Reviews on Chewing Gum by Mansour Bushnaf, By the Book Reviews, November 1, 2014

External links

• Mansour Bushnaf on 'killing books' in Libya (interview), BBC News Africa, April 15, 2014