Honey Hunger
Oman

Honey Hunger

by Zahran Alqasmi

Summary

Set in the mountainous countryside of Oman, Honey Hunger follows Azzan, a solitary beekeeper whose devotion to bees and the search for wild honey offers him a refuge from disappointment and personal turmoil. When he encounters Thamna, a shepherd woman with honey-coloured eyes, he becomes captivated by her, opening the possibility of connection in a life marked by loneliness and troubled relationships.

As Azzan navigates family expectations, alcohol addiction, and the fragile bonds between people, his work with bees becomes a source of purpose and healing. Yet an unexpected accident threatens to destroy everything he has built, forcing him to confront loss and the uncertainty of starting over.

Through vivid descriptions of Oman’s mountains, villages, and delicate ecosystems, Alqasmi creates an intimate portrait of a community whose lives are deeply intertwined with the natural world. The novel explores longing, resilience, and the complicated relationship between humans and their environment, revealing how the pursuit of something as precious as honey can reflect a deeper hunger for meaning and belonging.

Reviews

Login to leave a review.

No reviews yet. Be the first!

You might also like

Oman
Asia
Zahran Alqasmi
Zahran Alqasmi

Zahran Alqasmi is an Omani poet and novelist born in 1974 in Dima Wattayeen, Oman. A medical doctor specialising in infectious diseases, he is also a beekeeper—a practical experience that informs his evocative portrayals of the natural world and rural life. Alqasmi has published four novels, ten poetry collections, and a collection of short stories. His fiction draws on the customs, traditions, and everyday experiences of Omani communities, often exploring the connections between people, place, and the environment. His novel The Water Diviner (Taghribat al-Qafir) won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2023, bringing him international recognition. Honey Hunger, originally published in Arabic in 2017, was translated into English by Marilyn Booth in 2025. The translation won the 2025 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, announced in January 2026.

View author page
Published
2025
Author
Zahran Alqasmi