The Disappearance of Mr. Nobody - (Hoopoe Fiction) by Ahmed Taibaoui (Paperback)

About the Book

"In Rouiba, a nondescript suburb of Algiers, an unnamed man with a troubled past escapes his everyday life to find himself caring for an old man with dementia. When the man dies, the carer disappears into thin air. A police detective is assigned to investigate the circumstances of the old man's demise and to track down the caretaker, only to find that the unnamed man cannot be identified-that there is no trace of Mr. Nobody. The officer's search leads him to those whose paths once crossed Mr. Nobody's. In each of them he finds a reflection of the man he is looking for. A raw, lyrical portrait of life on the margins in contemporary Algiers, this haunting noir captures an underworld of police informers, shady imams, bootleg beer traders, and grave robbers, and reverberates with echoes of Algeria's violent past."--

Book Synopsis

WINNER OF THE NAGUIB MAHFOUZ MEDAL FOR LITERATURE

A BEST NEW BOOK OF 2023 (THE NEW ARAB)

A man disappears without trace and the detective in search of him finds more than he expected

In Rouiba, a nondescript suburb of Algiers, an unnamed man with a troubled past escapes his everyday life to find himself caring for an old man with dementia. When the man dies, the carer disappears into thin air. A police detective is assigned to investigate the circumstances of the old man's demise and to track down the caretaker, only to find that the unnamed man cannot be identified--that there is no trace of Mr. Nobody. The officer's search leads him to those whose paths once crossed Mr. Nobody's. In each of them he finds a reflection of the man he is looking for.

A raw, lyrical portrait of life on the margins in contemporary Algiers, this haunting noir captures an underworld of police informers, shady imams, bootleg beer traders, and grave robbers, and reverberates with echoes of Algeria's violent past.

Review Quotes

"Intriguing and suspenseful . . . a fascinating read . . . this novel gives voice to those socially marginalized in post-war Algeria and leads to the question: What does it mean to exist?" --AramcoWorld

"Innovative, exciting, and brilliant. . . . The Disappearance of Mr Nobody's fable-like quality, its clever deployment of literary devices and raw authenticity makes it a gift to any reader." -Litro Magazine

"Set in post-civil war Algeria, Taibaoui's noir offering is an intense, must-read page-turner."--The New Arab

"Taibaoui writes with raw urgency. . . . Part mystery, part confession, part parable, Taibaoui's scathing commentary on nameless, lost souls will undoubtedly find universal resonance."--Shelf Awareness

"A translation into English from an Algerian author writing in Arabic, the majority language of the population, is an event to be welcomed . . . . Taiboui's Algeria is a country still struggling with the toxic legacies of colonial and postcolonial violence. However, like Suzuki, Özlü, Zambra and Debré, he shows in his powerful account, why stories still matter and why not everybody is made comfortable by them."--The Irish Times

"This is a novel that situates the reader amid an ever-changing landscape, both literally and figuratively, which echoes the disconnect felt by many of its characters."--Words Without Borders

"Algerian writer Taibaoui makes his English-language debut with an acerbic noir involving a strange disappearance and a detective's existential quest . . . . Fans of Kamel Daoud's The Meursault Investigation ought to take a look. "--Publishers Weekly

"The Disappearance of Mr. Nobody is a thought-provoking novel in which human nature is explored through the Algerian working class."--Foreword

"In this spare, well-crafted and compelling novel, Taibaoui plays with the poetics of noir fiction to offer a bleak and haunting critique of the postcolonial Arab state and its mythologies."--Samah Selim, Rutgers University

"From its somber but intense style, vivid characters emerge. This is a novel of unpleasant truths."--Humphrey Davies

"The Mr. Nobody in Taibaoui's outstanding novel takes off his face and disappears revealing a patriarchal system that derives its existence from a web of power relations that have no place for him or us."--Shereen Aboulnaga, Cairo University

"With satirical language--concise and poetic at the same time--and its suspenseful construction artistically woven with elements of crime fiction, The Disappearance of Mr. Nobody compels readers to its last page."--Heba El-Sharif

"A powerful narration that does not overshadow the intelligence and creativity of its writer."--Thaer A. Deeb

About the Author

Ahmed Taibaoui is a professor at the Faculty of Economics, Business, and Management Sciences at the University of Bouira in Algeria. He was awarded the Tayeb Salih International Prize for Written Creativity (2014) for his novel Mawt na'im (Death of a Sleeper), as well as the President of the Republic Award for Young Innovators (2011) for his novel al-Maqam al-'ali (The High Eminence). Winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Prize for Literature, The Disappearance of Mr. Nobody is Taibaoui's fourth novel and his English language debut. He lives in Algiers.

Jonathan Wright is a translator and former Reuters journalist. His previous translations from the Arabic include Khaled Al Khamissi's Taxi, Youssef Ziedan's Azazeel (Winner of the IPAF, 2009), Saud Alsanousi's The Bamboo Stalk (Winner of the IPAF, 2013), Hammour Ziada's The Longing of the Dervish (Winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Prize), Ahmed Saadawi's Frankenstein in Baghdad (shortlisted for the Man Booker International), Mazen Maarouf 's Jokes for the Gunmen (shortlisted for the Man Booker International), and Hassan Blasim's God 99, The Madman of Freedom Square and The Iraqi Christ (winner of the 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize). He lives in London.