Husam Maarouf on Launching New ‘Gaza Publications’

First, congratulations on launching this new publishing house, منشورات غزّة / Gaza Publications! Can you tell us a little about how the idea for Gaza Publications came about and who’s working on the project?

Husam Maarouf: The idea of “Gaza Publications” stemmed from the fear of obliteration and the erasures that threatens the Palestinian story. There are many stories by Palestinians who lived through the 1948 Nakba that have been completely erased. Their authors died without their stories being told, without relaying testimonies of the crimes committed against them. This is my primary motivation. Other motivations include supporting the Palestinian literary scene, especially the literature produced in the shadow of this war of extermination and the harsh conditions the young people of Gaza experienced before it.

The Gaza Publications team consists of me, as founder and project director; visual artist Lamis Al Sharif, who works as a consultant and coordinator; and Yemeni designer Nina Amer.

We work under complex circumstances, with the war ongoing and internet or cellular outages that stretch for long periods; this sometimes prevents us from communicating and getting things done.

Can you tell us more about Amer Al-Massri and The Man Who Turned Back? What are some of the stories in the collection that particularly resonated with you, that have stuck with you?

HM: As for Amer Al-Massri, he is a young, gifted Palestinian writer, passionate about writing and experimentation. I met him in Gaza, and while he’s currently in Turkey, he lives his daily life, mentally and emotionally, inside Gaza. The secret behind our admiration of his short-story collection is that it crafts a comprehensive panorama of the situation in Gaza over the past two decades. It is something like a contemplation of the roots and precursors of the current war.

In his collection of short stories, Amer leaps into the depths of the human experience, reaching for the voice deep within the Palestinian people, offering subtle reflections on the feelings that even a distant reader should know about the people of Gaza. I believe that what he presents transcends ordinary literature and approaches shared thought, crafted under the world’s gaze, because what came before the war of extermination is not the same as what came after it — either in Gaza or in the rest of the world. Amer reveals the details that the devil keeps clutched in his hand.

Among the stories, “A Birthday Underground” stuck in my mind. I felt I was the one writing it. Amer’s vision felt so intimate in its vision of the small, even infinitesimal things; in his conversation with them and about them.

Why did you choose this as your first publication?

HM: I chose this book as the first publication from Gaza Publications because I believe Amer is one of the best representatives of the narrative arts in Gaza today. I wanted stories that delve into the details and deconstruct the abnormal human condition imposed on an occupied people who are striving for freedom.

I didn’t choose poetry because I believe the story shouldn’t be boiled down, nor should events pass as quickly as they do in poetry. I wanted the reader to spend more time inside Gaza, with its details, its people, and with its emotions, which are distorted by repeated wars.

Where are your books printed? I see they’re available in Berlin — will they also be available in Gaza? Do you plan to release e-books?

HM: We are currently printing the book in Poland, and distribution is being handled from Berlin by Hanin Odeh and Fadi Abdel Nour, via the Handal website and the Khan Aljanub bookshop. Distribution is worldwide, except for Gaza. However, once the war is over, each book will be printed in Gaza.

We will definitely publish e-books; we are currently working on coordinating this with Arabic online platforms.

What’s the best way for readers around the world to support your publishing house?

HM: As for ways to support us, we hope that the book will be purchased by the public, supporting the publishing house and the author, and helping us continue. We don’t have backers or funding, and we invested our own money in the first book. Purchasing one or more copies of the book will help us move to the next step and continue publishing Palestinian literature about the genocide.

We also are opening the door to anyone who wishes to contribute to further supporting Gaza Publications by purchasing a copy for 100 euros or more, as a sort of donation and support for the project going forward.

Buy your copy and support this new publishing house here.