Classic Short Fiction: Muhammed Taymour’s ‘The Eid Whistle’
This classic short fiction was composed in August 1917 by Muhammed Taymour, a pioneer of modern fiction and theatrical literature in Egypt.
Fiction
New Fiction: From ‘The Palace on the Higher Hill’
Winner of the 2021 Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie, Karim Kattan’s The Palace on the Higher Hill — beautifully translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman and out this month from Foundry Editions — opens when Faysal receives a letter about the death of aunt he can’t remember.
From Ala Hlehel’s ‘Seven Letters to Umm Kulthum’
The award-winning “Seven Letters to Umm Kulthum” follows the story of a Palestinian family from a small, remote village in the Upper Galilee: the parents, Mustafa and Hajer, and their sons, Yazn and Nur. Events in the novel begin to unfold and unravel on December 8, 1987, when the first Palestinian intifada begins.
‘Subject: Mirror, Mirror’: An Excerpt
This excerpt from Badar Salem’s “Lonely as a Crowded Room” was translated by the author.
From ‘The Statue of Delma’ by Reem Al-Kamali
Reem Al-Kamali’s The Statue of Delma — winner of the 2018 Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity — is a compelling historical fantasy that sweeps readers back in time to 3000 BCE. The setting is Delma Island, as isolated “as a rock thrown into infinite space.” The narrative unfolds as Nurta — a priest, artist, and magician — sculpts a statue of a deity.
Classic Short Fiction: ‘Among the Problems of the Village’
This story originally appeared in Maroun Abboud’s أقزام جبابرة. Abboud (1886-1962) was a Lebanese poet and writer who lived and worked among the Druze and wrote about village life in Mount Lebanon. Abboud studied various languages, initially pursued priesthood, and later worked as a newspaper editor while writing poetry.
From Omar Taher’s ‘Kohl and Cardamom’
This excerpt is from Chapter Two of Omar Taher’s popular and acclaimed Kohl and Cardamom, which was shortlisted for the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in 2021 and is a delightful exploration of character through food.
Flash Fiction Winner: ‘A Slender Thorn Digs into My Foot’
This tender story won the ArabLit/Komet Kashakeel 2024 Arabic Flash Fiction Prize and is featured in our new collection, Slender Thorns, which you can buy as a print or ebook. You can also hear this story read by professional voice actor Houda Echouafni, in Arabic and English, at our YouTube channel.
‘Can We Get in Touch with You?’ Short Fiction by Mai Al-Maghribi
In this short fiction by Mai Al-Maghribi, the narrator has dreams of art but doesn’t have the connections and gets dragged into an uncle’s tannery business.