“Cautiously, we came up with a plan. We studied it from all possible angles. We considered all the odds and maneuvered a way around each one. We kept in mind the lessons learned from previous prisoners, the schedules of the guards and the timing of their shifts, as well as the distance between the prison cells and the nearest public street, taking particular note of where pedestrians were permitted to roam.”
Read moreNew Short Fiction: Mariam Qahtani’s ‘Heavensent Huriyya’
“Suspicion’s bite trailed her gaze as the lazy air played across her vision. She straightened her back as she inspected the grim and miserable faces before her. For those who watched, her matted hair, ragged clothes, and very long fingernails foretold no good will.”
Read moreNew Short Fiction: Ibrahim Ishag’s ‘A Dinner with Mr. MacNeil’
By Ibrahim Ishag Translated by Nassir al-Sayeid al-Nour They prepare for the feast methodically, while still leaving countless possibilities and hiccups to chance. Today, the sons of al-Kabashi, with the […]
Read more19 Short-short Fictions by Fatima as-Sanoussi
Fatima as-Sanoussi is one of the prominent champions of Sudanese flash fiction, having spearheaded the spread and popularity of micro fiction in Sudanese newspapers throughout the 1980s.
Read moreExcerpt from Mohsine Loukili’s IPAF-shortlisted ‘The Prisoner of the Portuguese’
“From the seven children my father slaughtered in the cellar of our house, I was the sole survivor. Our mother, who could have stood between us and death, died of hunger and sorrow a day before the tragedy.”
Read moreFiction in Translation: ‘The Baffling Case of the Man Called Ahmet Yilmaz’
“Ahmet felt his face flush. He picked up his passport and stalked off through the crowds in Atatürk Airport, jerking his suitcase violently behind him. It was the first time he’d been embarrassed by his Turkish name, the one he’d chosen when he turned 30, after living in Turkey for six years.”
Read moreShort Fiction: Maheera Migdadi’s ‘Sad Woman’s Mirrors’
She wipes her hand over the mirror like she’s waving goodbye; her drowsy face looks back at her from the blurry glass, reminding her of all the hours she hasn’t slept. It warns of the long day ahead. She’ll be holding her breath for the next twenty-four hours.
Read moreFrom Tareq Imam’s IPAF-shortlisted ‘The Cairo Maquette’
Tareq Imam’s The Cairo Maquette, shortlisted for this year’s International Prize for Arabic Fiction, explores the lives of three main characters: Uriga, Noud, and Billiards.
Read moreNew Short Fiction in Translation: Mahmoud Tawfik’s ‘The Mirror’
On the third night of the festival, the writer knocked on his interpreter’s door and said: “I need you to be less passionate when you translate. Something about your voice has been irritating me.”
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