Short Fiction by Muhammad Khudayyir
A story from the fall of 1983 by the scribe of Basra, Muhammad Khudayyir.
Country Focus
Atheer al-Nashmi: When Love Becomes Both Adversary and Judge
Atheer al-Nashmi: When Love Becomes Both Adversary and Judge Teenage romances, or an imaginative pattern? By Mohsen Al-Wayili Asked once whether any of her novels were an autobiography, the […]
Four Libyan Women Writers You Should Read
For Women in Translation Month (#WiTMonth), we take you on a tour of work by four Libyan women writers. For more on the Libyan literary scene, visit ArabLit’s June 2026 […]
The Red Suns, Purple Moons, and Gun-Carrying Mice of Syrian Poet Da’ad Haddad
“In her poetry world, the sun is red. The moon is purple. Snow is ubiquitous. Winter is eternal.”
Where is Everybody?
Originally published in December 2012, “Where Is Everybody?” is a celebrated essay by Egyptian writer and novelist Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, later collected in Coffee with Uranium, first published in 2012. […]
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.
Short Fiction from Syria: ‘The Blacklist’
Haseeb Al-Zainy’s “The Blacklist” appears in the new anthology The Book of Damascus: A City in Short Fiction, out this month from Comma Press.
In Memory: ‘Oh Stones Cloaked in Grief’
In memory of the July 2025 massacres in Sweida, Syria.