A Journey Around Mediterranean Bars

A Journey Around Mediterranean Bars
(working title)
جولة بين حانات البحر المتوسط
(Gawlat bayna hanat al bahr al Mutawassit)

Written by

(علي الدوعاجي)

Published by

in

1962
A trip across the Mediterranean of the 1930s

This book belongs to the subgenre of travel literature. At the age of twenty four, Douagi sets out on a trip from Tunisia to various Mediterranean cities. He boards a ship alongside a snobbish British woman and other European tourists who at the time were divided over their support for Nazism in Europe. 

Douagi first published these writings as a series of articles in local newspapers in Tunisia in 1933-1934. They only appeared in book form after his death, when they were collected and released in 1962. This book offers a unique view of Mediterranean cities during the 1930s where Douagi documents major shifts across various countries, including the rise of Ataturk in Turkey, as well as fascism in Italy, captured in Douagi’s signature satirical style. Each of his adventures promise amusement and curiosity. 

Approximate number of pages: 93 p.

Foreign rights: this book is public domain under Tunisian law

Classification

Reasons to publish this book

Travel books are fun to read, and with this book, the pleasure is doubled by travelling into the past. The satirical style and the historical context makes this book a unique addition to European translations.

Translations

  • Portuguese

    translation

    by Hugo Maia

    published as

    Périplo pelos Bares do Mediterrâneo e Outras Histórias in Portugal in 2020 by E-Primatur
  • Italian

    translation

    by Isabella Camera d’Afflitto

    published as

    In giro per i caffé del Mediterraneo in Italy in 1995 by Abramo
  • French

    translation

    by Tahar Cheriaa

    published as

    Périple à travers les bars méditerranéens in France in 1972 by Maison tunisienne de l’édition

Press

Ali Douagi est l’un des grands tunisiens du siècle passé (in French) by Le matricule des anges, April 2018 

Reviewed by Diqqa.net