New Short Fiction from Sudan: ‘A Bunch of Losers’
By Alhassan Bakri Translated by Nassir al-Sayeid al-Nour We were all naughty and talkative as kids, except Idris: he was extremely quiet. He mastered an incredible range of abilities, including […]
Country Focus
New Short Fiction by Salah H. Ahmed: ‘Chicken Stew’
“The truth is, we didn’t taste it, because the tray came back with nothing on it except the bones—even the sauce had vanished. Your father swore he took onlytwo bites while Sheikh al-Raddi finished the rest. May it give him stomach pain.”
‘Matters of National Football’
In honor of today’s match, we’re running this essay from our beloved FOOTBALL issue, by Moroccan author Yassin Adnan, translated by Moroccan translator Hicham Rafik, with photographs by Moroccan photographer Omar Mesrar.
Samira Azzam’s ‘On the Road’
There goes the bell. I’ve been waiting for so long! I quickly pull my hand from the tub of water where the empty bottles are piled up, ready to be washed and refilled with beer, then loaded up and taken to the city’s bars and nightclubs. There, they’re poured straight into mouths whose thirst will never be quenched. They soon come back to me, empty, waiting to be washed.
Recommended Reading: Novelist Hadiya Hussein on 5 Iraqi Books
Iraqi novelist Hadiya Hussein recommends five works of Iraqi literature.
A Conversation with Hadiya Hussein and Barbara Romaine about ‘Waiting for the Past’
“Wars shrouded every corner of our country with some painful tale, and I built Narjis’ character out of what happened to many.”
New Fiction from Sudan: Ahmed Abu Hazim’s ‘Fragments of Obsessions & Suspicions ‘
His face was hidden by his bent head, with its enormous turban, as he busied himself with the food in front of him. His hand went up and down between his mouth and the dishes like an old crane.
Kneading Words: Mohammed Alnaas on Bread, Writing, and the Stuff of Language
“With time, I came to the conclusion that bread-baking as a creative act resembles the art of writing in many ways that might not be obvious to the untrained eye. And that the similarities become clearer with practice, and by persevering with the act of creation and creativity.”
From ALQ: A Playlist for the Underground Music Scene of Post-Revolutionary Egypt
“Hey little brittle Balaha dates
Your four years have passed by in disgrace
We’ve been too long with your grace
And we’re sick of your dumb face”