The Translator

Leila Aboulela author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Birlinn General

Published:29th May '08

£7.99

Available for immediate dispatch.

The Translator cover

The Translator is a story about love, both human and divine.

Sammar is a young Sudanese widow, working as an Arabic translator at a British university. Following the sudden death of her husband and estrangement from her young son, she drifts – grieving and isolated. Life takes a positive turn when she finds herself falling in love with Rae, a Scottish academic. To Sammar, he seems to come from another world and another culture, yet they are drawn to each other. 

'Aboulela is a wonderfully poetic writer ... It is a pleasure to read a novel so full of feeling and yet  so serene' – The Guardian

'A story of love and faith all the more moving for the restraint with which it is written' 

-- J.M. Coetzee

'A lyrical journey about exile, loss and love... poetry in motion' 

* The Sunday Times *

'An exceptionally well-crafted and beautifully written novel' 

* The Guardian *

'She pulls you into her world as she refracts British life, its smells and sounds, its advertisements and turns of phrase' 

* Independent *

'A subtle investigation into the meaning of exile and home, doubt and fait, loss and love. Leila Aboulela's writing is always beautifully observed, her voice one of restrained lyricism: she is a writer of rare and original talent'

-- Duncan Mc

ISBN: 9781846970801

Dimensions: 195mm x 130mm x 15mm

Weight: 194g

208 pages