Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (BQFP) has acquired the rights for the english edition of the award-winning Kuwaiti novel 'The Bamboo Stalk' written by Saud Alsanousi.

BQFP said with the inking of the agreement, it will soon start publishing the english version of the book which won the 2013 International Prize for Arab Fiction (IPAF).

Thalia Suzuma, the head of English Publishing for BQFP, who recently joined the Doha-based publisher from HarperCollins UK, won the world English language rights to the daring novel from the Susijn Agency.

The Bamboo Stalk takes a close look at the phenomenon of foreign workers in Arab countries and deals with the problems of identity, race and religion through the life of a young man of dual heritage returning home to Kuwait.

‘The Bamboo Stalk is a wonderful novel – an effortless, page-turning read; emotionally compelling and powerful. The themes of displacement and mixed roots are universal and handled with an extraordinary lightness of touch," remarked Thalia Suzuma.

"BQFP is delighted to be publishing this book for an English-reading audience around the world, and we are so pleased to have award-winning translator Jonathan Wright on board," she added.

The author, Alsanousi is a Kuwaiti novelist and journalist, born in 1981. His work has appeared in a number of Kuwaiti publications, including Al-Watan and Al-Arabi newspapers. He currently writes for Al-Qabas newspaper.-TradeArabia News Service