An Arab Melancholia

In his latest, Ta%C3%AFa (Salvation Army), the "first openly gay autobiographical writer published in Morocco," investigates the fraught crossroads of homosexuality and Islam in the Arab world. Spanning two decades, from the mid-'80s to the Oughts, this autobiographical novel tracks Ta%C3%AFa's growth from a young, closeted gay man in Sal%C3%A9, Morocco, doomed to a life of "private and public shame," to his sexual awakenings in Paris and Cairo. Often reflecting on his various male amours, Ta%C3%AFa's tale is vibrant and moving, especially the account of his tempestuous relationship with Slimane, a recently divorced Algerian father who in his prime was "a proud man bronzed by the sun." In addition to the difficulties of discovering one's sexuality in a traditionally conservative society, Ta%C3%AFa struggles throughout with what it means to present and represent oneself, as manifested via his thoughts on writing and the inclusion of journal entries. Ta%C3%AFa desires to see himself, and the world, with "merciless lucidity." Rather than telling his story in a linear narrative, Ta%C3%AFa renders his development in impressionistic scenes%E2%80%94unfortunately, despite moments of poetic beauty, the sum of these vignettes is too slight to fully satisfy. (Mar.)