Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih
Is a classic postcolonial Arabic novel by the Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih,
published in 1966.
- This novel was published decade after the end of colonialism.
- Has two protagonist:
1) Mustapha Saeed – was born in Khartoum / the only character
that is not a native of Wad Hammed / was a successful professor who
murdered his 1st wife, went to jail, and now wants to rebuild his life so
he lives as a farmer in Wad Hammed and has formed strong ties with
other locals by advising them. At some point M.S marries Hosna (2nd
wife)
His dark side: has no principle when it comes to his personal life
(dated many women at the same time without shame and boundaries)
M.s is similar to Willie as he presented himself to the British as an
oriental prince.
2) The narrator – unnamed / no background
Attitude toward Sudan:
The narrator Mustapha Saeed
He travelled to England for his Ph.D. in
He, unlike the narrator, was not
poetics, and after 7 years, he could not
homesick; he did not miss his
wait to return home because he felt
family, culture, or friends, and was
nostalgia - he did not fall in love or
completely unconcerned with
despise them (England), so when he left,
Sudan.
he did not feel any kind of bounding.
,Introduction:
Tayed Salih's Season Migration to the North, a classic post-colonial Arabic
novel published in 1966. It is a narrative about Mustapha Saeed's failure, as
well as the narrator's life in Hammed town, and their connection.
Characterization:
M.S: things are not clear about him and his family, father died, living his
widow mother alone.
1st wife: Jean Morris
2nd wife: Hosna Bint Mohamoud
He was a lady killer since he had 3 girlfriends in London:
Anna Hammond (student), Sheila Greenwood (working class girl), Isabella
Seymour, who was married and very religious
Mr. & Mrs. Robinson (foster parents), M.S receive education beyond high
school in Egypt and he stayed with them.
The narrator: unnamed, his family are unidentified.
The general setting:
Sudan: a small village in the remote Northern part of Sudan wad Hammed
(rural setting)
Part of the action takes place in another Setting: England both character
protagonist went to England, but not at the same time. When M.S. finished
his studies in England and returned to Sudan, the narrator travelled to
England.
,Timeline:
1- The narrator return home from England
He finished a Ph.D. for 7 years - return to Hameed village - home sick and
joyful when he returned - When he returned, he encountered a stranger.
People greeted him with many questions, but only M.S looked at him and
never asked him... one day they sat down to drink wine, M.S was drunk and
began to recites an English poem the Narrator's was surprised by M.S's
flawless English, M.S blows up his cover, and he lies to mend it, but the
narrator does not believe him.
2- Mustapha Saeed disclose of his past - The narrator goes to confront M.S:
As a child he grew up without a father and a very hands-off mother. One
day he meets a man who recruits him to attend an English school set up by
the British. At the school he excels so much then he is soon sent to study in
Cairo, Egypt. From there, he ends in a university in England. This all
sounds a very heart-warming story of a village boy who rose to become an
excellent economist for the British colonial authority. But it turns out, it’s
not a story of success, but a big failure.
It’s a tale of sexual addiction. While in England, he cannot stop sleeping
with women. He weaves short and long stories to seduce them. He plays on
the exotic stories the English were craving for. Animals, wild
nature, deserts and lush green jungles. He lies to his teeth to sleep with
these women. Once they find out, it’s too much for them. This leads them to
depression and suicide.
, But the final nail in Mustafa’s coffin is when he is obsessed by one woman
in particular that he chases, marries and finally murders her. First, she is
hard to get. Then she agrees to marry him, but refuses sex. When she finally
gives in, during that sexual encounter, he inserts a knife into her. He is
sentenced to 7 years.
In London, M.S met Jean at a bohemian party, but some challengers
accused him of building his economic structure (shortcuts); they
misunderstood him and were jealous, so they were against him.
But how does this relate to competition? This sarcasm would be rife - he is
also Arab.
This woman is a challenge for him! Because she is uninterested in him it is
his first time meeting such a woman. Later, they married, but this woman
would ridicule and annoy him, and at the end of the day, he understood she
was quite cruel. Jean would assault him, bite him, and slap him. M.S. was a
victim of domestic violence. Then she told M.S to - murder her, and he did -
he obeyed her and stabbed the knife deep in her chest. This tells about his
submissive nature, how he had no idea what he was doing and blindly
trusted her (Troubled Characters) Jean is a masochist, who derives
pleasure from suffering; when M.S stabbed her, she had that grin on her
face before her death. (She had a death desire) M.S was arrested, and her
acts confirmed any stereotypes people had about him.
Is a classic postcolonial Arabic novel by the Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih,
published in 1966.
- This novel was published decade after the end of colonialism.
- Has two protagonist:
1) Mustapha Saeed – was born in Khartoum / the only character
that is not a native of Wad Hammed / was a successful professor who
murdered his 1st wife, went to jail, and now wants to rebuild his life so
he lives as a farmer in Wad Hammed and has formed strong ties with
other locals by advising them. At some point M.S marries Hosna (2nd
wife)
His dark side: has no principle when it comes to his personal life
(dated many women at the same time without shame and boundaries)
M.s is similar to Willie as he presented himself to the British as an
oriental prince.
2) The narrator – unnamed / no background
Attitude toward Sudan:
The narrator Mustapha Saeed
He travelled to England for his Ph.D. in
He, unlike the narrator, was not
poetics, and after 7 years, he could not
homesick; he did not miss his
wait to return home because he felt
family, culture, or friends, and was
nostalgia - he did not fall in love or
completely unconcerned with
despise them (England), so when he left,
Sudan.
he did not feel any kind of bounding.
,Introduction:
Tayed Salih's Season Migration to the North, a classic post-colonial Arabic
novel published in 1966. It is a narrative about Mustapha Saeed's failure, as
well as the narrator's life in Hammed town, and their connection.
Characterization:
M.S: things are not clear about him and his family, father died, living his
widow mother alone.
1st wife: Jean Morris
2nd wife: Hosna Bint Mohamoud
He was a lady killer since he had 3 girlfriends in London:
Anna Hammond (student), Sheila Greenwood (working class girl), Isabella
Seymour, who was married and very religious
Mr. & Mrs. Robinson (foster parents), M.S receive education beyond high
school in Egypt and he stayed with them.
The narrator: unnamed, his family are unidentified.
The general setting:
Sudan: a small village in the remote Northern part of Sudan wad Hammed
(rural setting)
Part of the action takes place in another Setting: England both character
protagonist went to England, but not at the same time. When M.S. finished
his studies in England and returned to Sudan, the narrator travelled to
England.
,Timeline:
1- The narrator return home from England
He finished a Ph.D. for 7 years - return to Hameed village - home sick and
joyful when he returned - When he returned, he encountered a stranger.
People greeted him with many questions, but only M.S looked at him and
never asked him... one day they sat down to drink wine, M.S was drunk and
began to recites an English poem the Narrator's was surprised by M.S's
flawless English, M.S blows up his cover, and he lies to mend it, but the
narrator does not believe him.
2- Mustapha Saeed disclose of his past - The narrator goes to confront M.S:
As a child he grew up without a father and a very hands-off mother. One
day he meets a man who recruits him to attend an English school set up by
the British. At the school he excels so much then he is soon sent to study in
Cairo, Egypt. From there, he ends in a university in England. This all
sounds a very heart-warming story of a village boy who rose to become an
excellent economist for the British colonial authority. But it turns out, it’s
not a story of success, but a big failure.
It’s a tale of sexual addiction. While in England, he cannot stop sleeping
with women. He weaves short and long stories to seduce them. He plays on
the exotic stories the English were craving for. Animals, wild
nature, deserts and lush green jungles. He lies to his teeth to sleep with
these women. Once they find out, it’s too much for them. This leads them to
depression and suicide.
, But the final nail in Mustafa’s coffin is when he is obsessed by one woman
in particular that he chases, marries and finally murders her. First, she is
hard to get. Then she agrees to marry him, but refuses sex. When she finally
gives in, during that sexual encounter, he inserts a knife into her. He is
sentenced to 7 years.
In London, M.S met Jean at a bohemian party, but some challengers
accused him of building his economic structure (shortcuts); they
misunderstood him and were jealous, so they were against him.
But how does this relate to competition? This sarcasm would be rife - he is
also Arab.
This woman is a challenge for him! Because she is uninterested in him it is
his first time meeting such a woman. Later, they married, but this woman
would ridicule and annoy him, and at the end of the day, he understood she
was quite cruel. Jean would assault him, bite him, and slap him. M.S. was a
victim of domestic violence. Then she told M.S to - murder her, and he did -
he obeyed her and stabbed the knife deep in her chest. This tells about his
submissive nature, how he had no idea what he was doing and blindly
trusted her (Troubled Characters) Jean is a masochist, who derives
pleasure from suffering; when M.S stabbed her, she had that grin on her
face before her death. (She had a death desire) M.S was arrested, and her
acts confirmed any stereotypes people had about him.
