| Lyrics Alley | |
| Author: | Leila Aboulela |
| Language: | English |
| Publisher: | Weidenfeld & Nicolson (UK) |
| Publisher2: | Grove Press (US) |
| Pub Date: | 1 December 2010 |
| Pages: | 320 |
| Isbn: | 0297863142 |
| Preceded By: | Minaret |
| Followed By: | The Kindness of Enemies |
Lyrics Alley is a 2010 novel by Sudanese author Leila Aboulela. The book is a fictionalised account of the life of Sudanese poet Hassan Awad Aboulela.
Aboulela decided to write a novel based on the life of her uncle, a poet in the 1940s who was bedridden for 20 years.[1] She moved the events of his life into the 1950s so they would coincide with Sudanese independence. Aboulela states that by writing a book set in Sudan, she wanted to dispel "stereotypical images of famine and war" so often associated with the country.[2]
In 1950s Sudan, beautiful student Soraya can barely wait to marry her handsome and intelligent cousin Nur. Nur has dreams of being a poet, but his father, wealthy businessman Mahmoud Abuzeid, is completely opposed to this. He wants Nur to go to an English university in the United Kingdom and take over the family business, as Mahmoud's oldest son Nasir is lazy and a spendthrift. Meanwhile, Nur's impoverished former tutor Ustaz Badr secretly encourages him to write poetry.
Nur's brilliant future is ruined when he dives from the beach at Alexandria and becomes a quadriplegic. Despite several surgeries, neurologists are unable to cure him. The Abuzeud family is divided in the aftermath. Mahmoud's estranged wife Waheeba waits on Nur hand and foot and uses the opportunity to wreak revenge on Nabilah, Mahmoud's favorite wife. Soraya at first believes that Nur will be cured, but is forbidden from marrying him by Mahmoud. Soraya eventually marries one of Nur's good friends, and Nur becomes a famous poet, when popular singers put his words to music.