About the Book Volume two of the Cities of salt trilogy. Book Synopsis From one of the most highly regarded writers of Arabic literature, Trench is the second volume in the epic quintet Cities of Salt . Tracing the economic history of the Arabic world, Munif picks up where Vol. I left off, with the effects of the discovery of oil reserves in the region beginning to show their true colors. Following The Doctor as he is invited by the Sultan of Harran, the character watches as the royalty succumbs to corruption and greed, and in turn, the political and natural destruction of his homeland. Praise for Trench Munifs wonderful novel is a welcome corrective. . . . [It] deepens, enriches and above all humanizes whatever sense of Arab culture we may have.-- The New York Times Book Review [T]his sly, patient dissection of a sultanate grown too rich for its own survival makes it clear why the author lost his own Saudi citizenship.-- Kirkus Reviews About the Author Abdul Rahman Munif was a Saudi novelist. His novels included strong political elements as well as mockeries of the Middle Eastern elite classes. His work so offended the rulers of Saudi Arabia that many of his books were banned and his Saudi citizenship revoked. His books included Cities of Salt, The Trench, and Variations on Night and Day . Munif died in 2004.