A novel you might find interesting

I wasn't familiar with this Moroccan writer, but the Wikipedia article about him notes that he "has been short-listed for the Nobel Prize in Literature." So I take that as indication that he must be a pretty good writer. He currently lives in Paris and has written on a variety of topics, including some award-winning novels..

I located this review of the author's "Ablation" on a book review site:

A mathematician with an international reputation, about 60 years of age but in good health, learns one day that he has a prostate tumor. He must undergo treatment for it, as only in this way will the danger of the tumor be contained. The mathematician, however, is not so much interested in the tumor within him and the risk that it holds, but in the changes that it will bring to his life. He will no longer be able to have a sexual life because of loss of erections. He prepares himself for the treatment with one last wild night of sex with a high-class pr0stitute. After the treatment, he looks to continue a normal life (with work and travel) but everything is much more difficult now. At first he suffers from incontinence, then he feels maimed, as if he no longer had an organ, as he begins to live the drama of a sexless life. Time, however, takes its course and he slowly succeeds in getting on with his life, even establishing a relationship with a woman. Little by little he understands that a life without sex is possible. It's different, but it's still life.

(BTW, MartinP, do you have a source for an English language version of this novel? I was able to find some sources for the original French of course, and for some Italian and German translations, but none for any English version so far).

MartinP -

Responding to your points:

So maybe it's just this short excerpt which is translated into English?

Yes, I believe that is quite possibly the case. "Ablation" was first published from what I can tell in 2014, which would mean that a full English translation would likely have been published within the past three years if there was going to be one.

…one should think there was an English version. But maybe it's on its way.

Maybe so, perhaps an English translation is still in the planning.

And maybe one could write the French publisher Gallimard and ask.

At this point I would think that is the best bet for finding out. If Gallimard currently holds the copyright on this book, and it looks like they do, then they would be the ones to coordinate a translation with, and would likely know if one was being planned.

As for the review of the book in my earlier post, it is my English translation of the review in Italian from the Amazon page:

/www.amazon.com/Lablazione-Narratori-stranieri-Italian-Jelloun-ebook/dp/B00IKETKNG/ref=la_B000APMRTM_1_43?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1490626065&sr=1-43&refinements=p_82%3AB000APMRTM

I couldn't find a review in English, but since I had found this one in Italian, I translated it (I know Italian) into English and posted it here on this thread, just to get the information to our forum members. I didn't bother to mention that it was my translation of an Italian review, because it didn't seem relevant and I didn't think anyone would care to know that.

There is no English translation on it's way. Gallimard wrote:

"Dear Sir,
Thank you for your message. As for now, there isn't an English language publisher for Tahar Ben Jelloun's "L'Ablation".
All best,
Margot MIRIEL
Foreign Rights
Editions Gallimard"

So, GyGuy, you've gotta get the Italian version ...

There might be quite a few potential buyers in here ...

I'd love to read it...I can't figure this one out. I don't know what's going on.