The House of Rajani

Bestselling 2009 Sapir Prize winner, Alon Hilu sheds light on the present through his representation of the past.  He tells the partly true story of the difficult friendship between a sickly, but brilliant, Muslim boy and a dynamic Jewish settler, in the shifting world of nineteenth-century Palestine. It is a gothic tale of love, honour and betrayal.

Alon Hilu was born in Jaffa. His first novel, the prize-winning, Death of the Monk, concerned the Damascus affair. His recent, The House of Rajani, is set in Jaffa in 1895 and won the 2009 Sapir Prize.   www.alonhilu.com

Ian Black is The Guardian's Middle East editor. In more than 25 years on the paper he has also been its European editor, diplomatic editor, foreign leader writer and Middle East correspondent

With the support of

In association with the Abraham Fund