Friday Finds: 21 Short Stories for 2019’s Longest Day

Twenty-one translated stories from twelve countries — available free online — for your midsummer, 2019:

ALGERIA

The Mauve Planet,” Safia Ketou, trans. Nadia Ghanem

Bloodred Dew,” Mohammed Dib, trans. C. Dickson

EGYPT

The Battle of the Rabbits,” Muhammed Mustajab, trans. Robin Moger

“Our Story,” Mohamed Abdelnabi, tr. Robin Moger

IRAQ

Tantal,” Samir Naqqash, trans. Shakir Mustafa

“Lizards’ Colony,” by Mahmoud Saeed, trans. William Hutchins

“Yusif’s Tales,” by Muhammad Khudayyir, trans. Shakir Mustafa

The Hush Void” by Muhammad Khudayyir, trans. Elisabeth Jaquette

LEBANON

Pearls on a Branch,” from the collection of folktales Pearls on a Branch: Oral Talesed. Najlaa Khoury, tr. Inea Bushnaq.

God, It’s as Though You’re Sewing a Dress For a Flea,” Hanan al-Shaykh, trans. Randa Jarrar

JORDAN

Disappointments (and a Few Clarifications),” by Basma al-Nsour, trans Andrew Leber

LIBYA

The World’s Longest-held Prisoner,” Omar El-Kiddi, trans. Ghenwa Hayek

MOROCCO

Men Have All the Luck,” Mohamed Choukri, trans. Paul Starkey

Just Different,” Malika Moustadraf, trans Alice Guthrie

PALESTINE

Silence,” Adania Shibli, trans. Randa Jarrar

Man and His Alarm Clock“ Samira Azzam, translated by Nora Parr, Michael Beard, and Wen-Chin Ouyang. (As a companion, Shibli’s “Out of Time.”)

SUDAN

“Birth,” Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin, trans. Nancy Roberts

SYRIA

Silent Ones,” Zakaria Tamer, trans. Ibrahim Muhawi

The Gist of It,” Rasha Abbas, trans. Alice Guthrie

TUNISIA

The Way to Poppy Street,” Rachida el-Charni, trans. Piers Amodia

YEMEN

Fatal Dreams” by Wajdi Al-Ahdal, trans. William Maynard Hutchins