In this case, I might translate it as “the sticks.” The word originally came into French by way of Arabic-speaking Maghrebis. There are reasons why many critics have found his treatment of the Arab world disquieting. For Camus, North Africa was le bled only in the original sense, as the sticks, a remote place from which he had fled. Even the way Camus died gave his life an aura, almost of sacredness. As a result, Camus became for me a patron saint of the sticks, a beacon for those of us striving to get out.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 10, 2020 12:33 UTC