Benghazi is an odyssey into the mental universe of Mariam Khaldoon, a Libyan teenager confronted with a life-changing emotional crisis. The story is centered around the power exerted over Mariam by two powerful men: her father, and the Fascist Italian leader Benito Mussolini. Between the omnipotent family patriarch who makes a decision that throws her existence into turmoil, and the heartless Italian tyrant ruling over Libya with an iron fist, the highly gifted and insightful adolescent must forge a path for herself and find a way to overcome the trauma inflicted upon her by a harsh, cold social environment and an aloof father.
Mariam’s struggle to prevail over a world indifferent to her unique gifts is poignant and compelling as she strives to assert her identity in an incomprehensible, uncomprehending environment of adults contending with the forces of war and political turmoil.
Here is an elaborate and intriguing story from an author well known for the complexities of his astonishing imagination.
The College of Arts