Mansour Bushnaf (Arabic: منصور بوشناف) (born October 22, 1954)[1] is a Libyan writer. He began his literary career as a playwright and essayist, before writing his debut novel Chewing Gum (novel) which was banned in 2008 in Libya Bushnaf’s essays have appeared in the Al-Hayat, Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Al-Arab and Al-Wasat. The English translation of his novel, Chewing Gum (novel), was published in 2014. He currently lives and writes in Tripoli.
Mansour Bushnaf | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 22, 1954 Bani Walid, Libya |
| Occupation | Novelist, playwright, essayist |
| Period | 1970–present |
| Genre | Fiction, plays, essays |
| Notable works | Chewing Gum |
Background
editMansour Bushnaf was born in Bani Walid, a small town, south-east of the Libyan capital Tripoli. He studied in Bani Walid and Misrata, where he began writing and dramatising plays for his school drama club.[2]
He began writing his essays in Libyan newspapers in the 1970s as a university student, when he was detained in 1976 by Gaddafi regime and spent 12 years in prison with other Libyan writers and intellectuals. After his release in 1988 Bushnaf wrote several plays that were produced to wide acclaim in Libya.[3]
Literary career
editBushnaf wrote several plays, which were performed in Libyan theatres. his first novel, The Night Mirage.. Chewing Gum (Arabic: سراب الليل.. العلكة), was published in Arabic in early 2008, by an independent publisher in Cairo but it was soon banned by Libyan authorities from being distributed inside the country. The novel was published in June 2014 by independent publisher DARF Publishers in London with a translation by Mona Zaki.[1]
Bibliography
edit- Chewing Gum (novel), DARF Publishers, 2014, ISBN 978-1850772729
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Chewing Gum Press Release" (Press release). DARF Publishers. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
- ^ "Interview with Mansour Bushnaf". Al-Wasat. Retrieved 2014-09-17.
- ^ Jawad, Rana (15 April 2014). "Interview with Mansour Bushnaf". Tripoli: BBC News. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
External links
edit- Mansour Bushnaf on 'killing books' in Libya (interview), BBC News Africa, April 15, 2014
- 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