Something Strange, Like Hunger

Malika Moustadraf is a cult feminist icon in contemporary Moroccan literature, celebrated for her uncompromising depiction of life on the margins. 



Something Strange, Like Hunger presents Moustadraf's collected short fiction: haunting, visceral stories by a master of the genre. Here, we tune into Casablanca's unheard: a sex worker struggling to keep warm on the streets; a housewife flirting with strangers online; a kidney patient, priced-out of treatment, facing the harsh reality of his condition; and a mother scheming to ensure her daughter passes a virginity test.



Something Strange, Like Hunger is a sharp provocation to patriarchal power, and a celebration of the life and genius of one of Morocco's preeminent writers.



Malika Moustadraf (1969–2006) was a writer from Casablanca, Morocco. Celebrated by other writers for her distinctive style and experimental language, Moustadraf wrote unflinchingly about life in the margins, centering the female body and experience. An exacting social critic, throughout her life she was persecuted for her taboo-busting subject matter and feminism. Her friends recall her fierce intellect, her humour, and her feminist rage. Moustadraf suffered from chronic kidney failure, preventing her from attending higher education; an intense engagement with the written word and experimentation with hybrid language became her equivalent of an academic discipline. She died at just thirty-seven of kidney disease, denied access to basic healthcare that could have saved her life.