Palestinian Sittis and the Inheritance of Memories
In this conversation, Hooda Shawa offers inspiring insight into her experience writing such a personal and powerful novel as well as herself as an author.
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Publication Day: ‘Your Presence Is a Danger to Your Life’
It’s publication day for the US edition of Samar Yazbek’s Your Presence Is a Danger to Your Life, translated to English by Leri Price. To mark the day, we have a link to an excerpt from the book, a conversation about the book between Samar and Olivia Snaije, a review by editor Ibtihal Rida Mahmood, and a conversation about the translation process between contributor Tugrul Mende and translator Leri Price.
Stealing Sleep, Reclaiming Tomorrow
In the opening pages of The Sleep Thief by Ibtisam Azem (tr. Sinan Antoon), Palestinian protagonist, Gharib Haifawi, recounts how he was dubbed the “sleep thief” by his interrogators during his imprisonment.
Every Alley, a Different Damascus
The Book of Damascus vividly portrays the many facets of life in Damascus, Syria. From children attempting to steal so they could have a day out with their friends, to people falling in love, to those trying to reach places of worship, Syrians have continued living their lives despite the warfare.
Fallible Men vs Safynaz Kazem
This originally ran in the 2020 ROAD issue of ArabLit Quarterly and appears here for Women in Translation Month (#WiTMonth), as this year, we’re focusing on underappreciated classics in Arabic by women. And, as Hadil Ghoneim writes below, the gifted and sometimes frightening Kazem was “overshadowed, banned, and deliberately ignored.” Here, we remember her path-breaking work.
‘By Candlelight’: Short Fiction by Latifa al-Zayyat
Part of our focus, this Women in Translation Month (#WiTMonth), is on classic Arabic works by women, especially those at the margins of (or neglected entirely by) critical and readerly attention.
Five Novels: A Masterclass in Palestinian Literature for Teens
We recommend these five books as the anchors of a class in Palestinian literature and translation for teen readers.
Poems of Whiskey and Regret by Rasha Omran
These poems, translated by Phoebe Carter, are from Rasha Omran’s sixth collection, “A Secret Wife of Absence.”
Beyond the Workshop: How a Writing Community Was Born
Taqwa Ahmed Alwawi explores the creation of a community of writers in Gaza under genocide.