“Al Neimi announces the end of a taboo in the Arab world: that of sex!”—Reuters

A Syrian scholar working in Paris is invited to contribute to a conference on the subject of classic erotic literature in Arabic. The invitation provides occasion for her to evoke memories from her own life, to exult in her personal liberty, her lovers, her desires, and to revisit moments of shared intimacy with other women as they discuss life, love, and sexual desire. Far more than an erotic novel, The Proof of the Honey is a surprising and illuminating voyage into the history of Arabic literature. Borrowing inspiration from The Thousand and One Nights, erudite asides are woven into the fabric of the protagonist’s story and the stories of her lovers. Affirming that “Arabic is the language of sex,” and making desire the source of her own personal liberty, Al Neimi has written a stirring novel about the place afforded sex in modern Arabic society and its relationship to the long, rich tradition of Arabic erotica.

Salwa Al Neimi
Salwa Al Neimi was born in Damascus, Syria. Since the mid-seventies, she has lived in Paris, where she studied Islamic Philosophy and Theatre at the Sorbonne. She has published three volumes of poetry and a collection of short stories.

• Jun 24 2015
  "Al Neimi has written a stirring novel about the place afforded sex in modern Arabic society and its relationship to the long, rich tradition of Arabic erotica."
  — Books on the Move
• Jan 19 2010
  The Globe and Mail: "Breaking taboos in Middle Eastern fiction"
  
• Jun 5 2009
  Booklist: "A self-described 'creature of language,' [Al Neimi] entwines the smell of desire and the linguistics of love in a multifaceted tapestry of sex, women, and society."
  
• May 13 2009
  Cleveland Plain Dealer: "Readers disappointed by 'The Almond' would be better served by Al Neimi's... 'The Proof of the Honey,' also narrated by a woman who dwells on sensual pleasures"
  
• May 7 2009
  Library Journal: "Al Neimi mines the depths of Arabic literature in an attempt to revive the forgotten language of sexuality."
  
• Feb 26 2009
  Publishers Weekly: "the narrator’s description of her sexual awakening with the Thinker delivers sensationally beautiful erotic moments, revealing a skillful, enticing voice from the Arab world."