The Barbary Figs

Winner of the Arab Book Prize.

Two old friends find themselves side by side on the flight from Algiers to Constantine. There is a lot of history between them, as well as bad blood. The flight will last only an hour--an hour during which both their stories will be told, interspersed by anecdotes of Algeria's struggle to release itself from France's colonial grip. The title, "The Barbary Figs," is a symbol of the "old" Algeria, since one of the men's grandfathers used to grow them on his estate. The "new" Algeria is far less straightforward, and has produced far more bitter fruit.