Four Flash Fictions by Saudi Writer Wafa Al-Harbi
Her writing can be characterized by its accessibility to a broad readership and by its ability to surprise the reader in a small space.
Fiction
New Fiction in Translation: Azza Maghur’s ‘Mowgli and Shere Khan’
It’s not a jungle, it’s a city, but not any city, it’s the capital. He’s not “Mowgli”—his name is Ihab. As for “Shere Khan,” he’s nothing but an animal. This story takes place in Tripoli. As I write it, I won’t be telling you about the Tripoli that I’ve lived in for half a century; I’ll tell you stories about the war that’s devouring it.
New Iraqi Fiction: Muhammad Khudayyir’s ‘The Tunnel’
As the police closed in, the protesters began to retreat, individually and in groups.
An Excerpt from Mohamed Nabulsi’s Etisalat Shortlisted-novel ‘Dates and Masala’
Mohamed Zakaria Nabulsi’s Dates and Masala was one of three novels shortlisted for the Young Adult category of the 2021 Etisalat Prize for Arabic Children’s Literature. The novel is a culinary travel coming-of-age set between Sharjah, UAE and Kochi, India, which includes twelve recipes.
New Fiction from Sudan: Salah H. Ahmed’s ‘The Bearded One’
Those who were around in the final moments before Wad Siraj’s death on that hot Friday noon said he had arrived moments earlier, parked his fancy Mercedes at the main road, and continued on foot into the narrow alley.
Zakia Allal’s ‘Naked Veins’
This short story, by Algerian author Zakia Allal, is part of our new “In Focus: Algeria” section. By Zakia Allal Translated by Leonie Rau It was creeping toward 8:15 pm, […]
New Fiction in Translation: Two Stories by Yasmeen Hanoosh
Yasmeen Hanoosh’s forthcoming short-story collection أطفال الجنة المنكوبة (Children of an Afflicted Paradise) was one of our “30 Reads: A Month of Iraqi Women Writers.” One short story from that […]
Short Fiction: ‘Orchestra,’ from Hisham Bustani’s ‘The Monotonous Chaos of Existence’
“She was seated at the black piano. The music had evaporated from her head, and only crooked melodies stumbled from her fingers.”
Short Fiction: Zuher Karim’s ‘The Awakening of Abdulmonam’
“This is a confusing experience, not intended to be comical in any way, shape, or form.”