Since it’s the shortest day of the year, I tried to find some short-short stories for your reading pleasure. In some cases — such as Zakariya Tamer — they are indeed shortly short. But I have tried to keep all of them to the short side. Limiting to one short story per country was difficult, and perhaps silly.
ALGERIA
“Bloodred Dew,” Mohammed Dib, trans. C. Dickson
EGYPT
“The Battle of the Rabbits,” Muhammed Mustajab, trans. Qisasukhra
IRAQ
“The Logic of Birds,” Luay Hamza Abbas, trans Yasmeen Hanoosh
IRAQ/ISRAEL
“Tantal,” Samir Naqqash, trans. Shakir Mustafa
LEBANON
“God, It’s as Though You’re Sewing a Dress For a Flea,” Hanan al-Shaykh, trans. Randa Jarrar
LIBYA
“The Teacher,” Ibrahim al-Koni, trans. Elliott Colla
MOROCCO
“Men Have All the Luck,” Mohamed Choukri, trans. Paul Starkey
PALESTINE
“Silence,” Adania Shibli, trans. Randa Jarrar
SAUDI ARABIA
“Oil Field,” Mohammad Hasan Alwan, trans. Peter Clark
SUDAN
“In the Long Shadows,” Jamal Mahjoub
SYRIA
“Silent Ones,” Zakaria Tamer, trans. Ibrahim Muhawi
TUNISIA
“The Way to Poppy Street,” Rachida el-Charni, trans. Piers Amodia
