DUBAI TALES <i> by Muhammad al Murr, translated by Peter Clark (Forest/Dufour Editions: $26).</i>

Dubai is one of the seven states that make up the United Emirates, and these sardonic tales of romance and family relations demonstrate that even within the strictures of traditional Muslim society, husbands and wives find ample opportunity to deceive each other. In “Study Course” and “Fear,” young couples express the most tender regards for each other--to conceal their mutual infidelities. The stories that focus on the quarrels between fathers and sons and brothers and uncles offer insights into a curious world where the rich must go abroad to pursue the pleasures of food, drink and philandering that are unavailable at home.