The Calamity of the Nobility

The Calamity of the Nobility relates an important, untold story from Tunisia’s contemporary history. Its hero is the historical figure, the reformer El-Taher El-Haddad. Although historical references do not mention anything about his relationship with women, except for his desperate defence of them, the author adds an imaginary love affair with a woman called Lella Zubaida to her fictional retelling of his life. The novel gives prominence to the voices of female narrators, as custodians of memory who contradict a distorted, patriarchal version of history.