That Smell & Notes from Prison

That Smell is Sonallah Ibrahim’s modernist masterpiece and one of the most influential Arabic novels. Composed in the wake of a five-year prison sentence, the semi-autobiographical story follows a recently released political prisoner as he wanders through Cairo, adrift in his native city. Published in 1966, the novel was immediately banned. The original, uncensored version did not appear for another twenty years. For this edition, translator Robyn Creswell has also included an annotated selection of Notes from Prison, culled from Ibrahim’s prison diary — a personal archive comprising hundreds of handwritten notes scribbled on Bafra-brand cigarette papers. These writings shed unexpected light on the sources and motives of Ibrahim’s groundbreaking novel.