‘Llegir Palestina’: Making a Space to Read About Palestine

‘Llegir Palestina’:

Making a Space to Read About Palestine

With Danae Fonseca and Dana Dhailieh

The book club “Llegir Palestina” (“Read Palestine” in Catalan) has been a success in Catalunya’s public libraries; next, organizers plan to offer workshops to library staff and volunteers on how to start up their own “Read Palestine” books clubs.

Here, co-organizers Danae Fonseca and Dana Dhailieh answer a few questions about how the book clubs got started, how they work, and where they’re going next.

Can you tell us about yourselves & how these book clubs and events got started? What was the idea behind them?

Danae Fonseca: I am a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the University of Barcelona. My work focuses on Palestinian visual arts and literature, particularly in relation to gender. I am based in the Department of Arabic Philology and at ADHUC, a research center on gender and sexuality.

Dana Dhailieh: I recently started my PhD at the university of Barcelona, where Danae is actually one of my thesis directors. My research is based around Palestinian literature and specifically resistance literature.

Danae and Dana: The idea of these book clubs was initiated by Papyrus, a cultural association in Celrà, Girona. Papyrus was created to collect and redistribute used books, giving them a second life, while also promoting cultural and social activities. In 2023, they organized a Palestinian film cycle in collaboration with SODEPAU, an association dedicated to solidarity work that also co-organizes the Mostra de Cinema Àrab i Mediterrani de Catalunya, a film festival held in Barcelona every year, with whom we also collaborate with at the University of Barcelona. The film cycle was very well received by the local community, and, from that experience, Papyrus and SODEPAU thought of starting a reading group on Palestine. They reached out to us at the UB, and that’s how we began planning together.

The idea behind the clubs is to bring people closer to Palestinian history and reality, and to become acquainted with Palestinian narratives, through literature. Our goal was never to create an academic reading group, but rather something accessible to anyone. Celrà was the perfect setting, as it is a small town where the community is already used to gathering around Papyrus’ book-exchange initiatives, and regular book club cycles. Through the sessions, participants not only discovered the artistic and literary value of Palestinian works—as part of world literature—but also had the chance to ask questions and learn more about the broader context of Palestine.

The book club went so well that we decided to propose the idea to the public libraries in Catalunya. We’ve been fortunate enough to receive a fair amount of interest. This year we will be offering workshops to library staff and volunteers on how to execute the books clubs, and we already have a number of book clubs programmed at various libraries across Catalunya next year, that the both of us will be facilitating.

Why public libraries? How are events different if you host them at a library vs. at a bookshop or university?

Danae and Dana: Papyrus, where we first launched the initiative, is actually a hybrid space between a public library and a bookshop. They sell books for one euro, but at the same time it is a very powerful project of book rescue and redistribution. What really makes a difference, however, is the audience: it is not a university audience. The participants are people deeply committed to reading, and in our experience they engage with the books with great care and attention to detail—which we truly love. It doesn’t feel like an academic assignment; it is clear that they read out of genuine interest and enjoyment.

Another important element is that the books we select are borrowed from the Catalan public library system, not purchased. This reinforces the hybrid character of Papyrus as a space: it’s not about buying books, but about making them accessible and creating a collective reading experience.

What we especially value is that people often raise very important questions that, in a university or more “intellectual” setting, they might not feel comfortable asking. For us, this has been an incredible learning experience: participants notice things we don’t see, or ask about issues we tend to take for granted. In many ways, we feel we have learned more from these clubs than anyone else.

How do you choose the  books to read and discuss?

Danae and Dana: We follow two main criteria when selecting the books. First, they need to be available either in a Catalan or Spanish translation, and they also have to be part of the public library system—otherwise, people wouldn’t be able to access them. Once those conditions are met, we focus on choosing works that represent different periods, themes, and voices, creating a balanced mix.

For example, in our first cycle we selected Men in the Sun by Ghassan Kanafani, Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, I Saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti, and The Parisian by Isabella Hammad. This combination allowed us to have half women and half men authors, and also to present different generations of Palestinian writers. It also allowed us to explore distinct historical moments—from the British Mandate to the Nakba, the Naksa, and the Oslo period—while engaging with transversal themes such as forced exile, identity, violence, occupation, history, and memory.

How have you spread the word about the book clubs? Who attends?

Danae and Dana: The promotion is mainly handled by the library itself, which spreads the word within the local community. The participants are almost entirely people from the town or nearby areas, since we organize the clubs in small municipalities across Catalonia.

How do you structure a successful book club? How is it similar to — and different from — an open-university class? How do you balance discussion with guidance?

Danae and Dana: The structure is very different from a university class. In this context, we are more like guides than professors. We usually bring printed materials—such as maps or photographs—that can help spark or enrich the discussion. A key element is listening carefully to the participants: what they liked, what caught their attention, what questions they brought.

From our perspective, it feels quite natural because Palestinian literature is universal; it speaks to many human experiences that people can easily relate to. For that reason, we normally define at least three key points we want to highlight in each session and prepare some visual aids to support them. At the same time, we build the discussion around what participants say, letting their observations and questions drive the conversation. This balance between a loose structure and participant-led dialogue is what makes the book clubs so engaging.

What advice would you have for someone who wanted to start a series similar to yours, perhaps in another country?

Danae and Dana: We recommend selecting books that offer a balanced mix of styles and themes, ensuring participants can engage with a range of voices and perspectives. It’s important to genuinely listen to everyone’s insights and questions, as the value of the club lies in collective discussion rather than facilitator input alone. And above all, we would encourage them to simply go for it: many people want to read about Palestine but don’t have a space to do so. Creating that space is necessary.