Horses of god
By: Mahi Binebine ; translated from the French by Lulu Norman
Contributors: Norman, Lulu
Publisher: Granta
Published: 2013
Place of publication: London
Language: fre; eng
Number of pages: 182
ISBN-13: 9781847085139
Subjects: Young men; Islamic fundamentalism; Fiction
Work titles: Étoiles de Sidi Moumen
Description: On the outskirts of Casablanca, next to the dump, is the shantytown of Sidi Moumen, where Yachine and his ten brothers grew up, in the aimless chaos of drugs, violence, unemployment, and despair. The barefoot boys started their own football team-the Stars of Sidi Moumen. They played amongst the rocks, detritus, and buried skeletons of the dump but they dreamed of becoming the best football players of all time. From the grave, Yachine remembers the ugliness but also recalls his fond memories of childhood: "I'm not ashamed to tell you I was sometimes happy in that hideous squalor, on the filth of that accursed cesspit, yes, I was happy in Sidi Moumen, my home. ." Then their dreams changed. Yachine's older brother Hamid started growing a beard and attending religious meetings with Sheikh Abou Zoubeir. Week after week, the sheikh beguiled the Stars of Sidi Moumen into believing that there was a better world in the afterlife, where their faith in Allah would be rewarded. They needed only to choose between dying gloriously and together, or living disgracefully and alone. For Yachine and his brother, the choice was clear.
Notes: "Now an internationally released film'--Cover.

"Originally published in French ... by Flammarion in 2010"--Title page verso.

Translated from the French.

Winner English Pen award.