THE IN-BETWEEN WORLD OF THEY DIE STRANGERS BY MOHAMMAD ABDUL-WALI

Abstract

Yamutuna Ghuraba (1971) which is the subject of this paper, translated under the title They Die Strangers (2001), was widely hailed for its realistic outlook and psychological depth. It tackles issues related to the problems of the Yemeni society among which is emigration. Of mixed races, Abdul-Wali reflects the emotional and spiritual dilemma he faced as a result of being muwallad (hybrid), raised in a foreign land and educated in a foreign language. He is neither considered Yemeni, nor Ethiopian. His personal experience of being born, living, studying and working in a strange land allowed him, no doubt, to reveal such an experience vividly and with compassion. The novella which is set in Ethiopia has a touch of autobiography. He examines issues related to the painful experience of emigration such as alienation, isolation, identity crisis and the everlasting conflict between homeland and adopted land. The issue of in-between world which has always enjoyed a defining significance in the thematic framework of his literary works is the focus of the present paper as it is one of the facets of emigration. Therefore, taking this idea of straddling between two worlds, two religions, two cultures, two morals, two languages and two identities where immigrants find difficulty to belong to anyone as a point of departure. Edward Said’s theory of in-betweenness is taking into account.