Blood Feast: The Complete Short Stories of Malika Moustadraf

Written by Malika Moustadraf

Narrated by Amin El Gamal and Lameece Issaq

This cult classic by a feminist icon in contemporary Moroccan literature takes an unflinching look at the gendered body, social class, double standards, and more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamscape Media
• Translator: Alice Guthrie
• Release date: Feb 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666549560

Malika Moustadraf

Malika Moustadraf (1969–2006) was a preeminent arabophone writer from Casablanca, Morocco. She died at just thirty-seven, leaving behind a semi-autobiographical novel and a collection of short stories. Four other short stories were published posthumously by the Moroccan literary journal QS and are included in this collection. Admired for her unflinching work, she was also persecuted throughout her short life for her taboo-busting subject matter.

Reviews for Blood Feast

[kreskakozlowska · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful. Everyone should read this book, if not for any other reason, than to honor the autor.

[jacobtaylor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully rendered slice-of-life short stories about people living on the fringe in Morocco. So glad that this was translated into English and this author is having more critical attention drawn to her.

[Yanie Nizam · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very keen and interesting title! I love that the book has a lot of narration in which each narrators takes on the different stories that he or she is telling and it makes such a big impact on the story itself.

A collection of 14 short stories that are one that made me wanted to scream and throw something at someone on how vile and horrendous it is. It doesn't come to a surprise for me when the fact that the author during the time she was alive was shunned and tried to be stopped by a lot of critics at the time. Her work is pretty revolutionary I feel, in a sense that really portrays what is going on in her society and her culture itself. It may look bad to the religion itself, but at the end of the day, its not the fault of the religion that makes it bad; its the fault of the humans practicing the religion in a way that only benefits to them.

[Maria Hill · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

concise and powerful. i am amazed by her use of language.