The Review of Contemporary Fiction
The Savage Night by Mohammed DibValerie Orlando
Mohammed Dib. The Savage Night. Trans. C. Dickson. Univ.of Nebraska Press, 2001. 191 pp. Paper: $20.00.
Mohammed Dib’s collection of thirteen stories vividly exemplifies the author’s haunting narrative style. A prominent Algerian literary figure who has written for nearly fifty years from exile in France, Dib is one of the founding fathers of North African literature. He wields his pen to evoke memories of the Algerian war of liberation from France (1954-1962) as well as the aftermath of failed postcolonial, sociocultural, and political endeavors. The stories portrayed in The Savage Night take on global proportions, encompassing the austere life of war-torn Sarajevo as well as human suffering in Latin America. The universal message connecting these stories is that human brutality can reign where we least expect it. Dib does not cast stones, but sets his tales in front of his readers, forcing us to reflect on the tides of historical, cultural, and political events. From the bomb-planting Algerian brother and sister of the title story, who leave death and destruction in their wake, to the bullet that takes the life of a young burglar shot by a man defending his property in "A Game of Dice," Mohammed Dib coerces us to confront the persistence of senseless violence. His voice calls out to those caught up in the brutality of life-demonstrating that for millions of people from varying backgrounds, races, and nationalities, violence is a part of their daily routines. Dib pleads with us to turn our attention to the shameful indifference that often is the principal reason violence endures, generation after generation. [Valerie Orlando]