From the WEDDINGS Issue: ‘The Grim Symbolism of Weddings in Algerian Oral Literature’
“Grim Symbolism” is one of the essays included in the Fall 2022 issue of ArabLit Quarterly.
Nonfiction
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.”
‘Jasmine’: Memories of Mo Salah
This short personal essay originally appeared in Akhbar al-Adab in 2018 and appears here with the author’s gracious permission. Jasmine By Mahmoud Atef Translated by Rahma Bavelaar Each morning, the […]
In Memory of Ghassan al-Jibai, His ‘Nails’
I had no access to poison, a rope, or any sharp objects. They confiscated any tool that would make death feasible. Had I owned pins, I wouldn’t have been satisfied with only pricking out my eyes in the manner of King Oedipus. They confiscated my tie, eyeglasses, belt, watch, and my wedding ring, and they placed me in a bare and cramped prison cell where it wasn’t even possible to smash my head against its walls.
Remembering Muthaffar Al-Nawab: Poet, Nomad, and Warrior for Justice Who Fought from the Trenches of Poetry
“. But this fervor, depth, and audacity also made exile the only possibility for such a voice, as he became a particularly odd type of globetrotter, one who remained for half a century merely one step ahead of his pursuers. “
An Excerpt from Poet Salah Niazi’s Memoir: ‘Curious Passengers’
“I returned to the compartment and found my seat, which a Syrian now occupied. Beside him was a jolly-looking young man with a hunchback. In the seat across from them was an old woman wrapped in an old blanket, constantly sighing.”
Four Jinn Tales to Accompany Our FOLK Issue
We asked, on Twitter, for readers to share stories about their local jinn to pair with our FOLK issue, released earlier this month.
An Excerpt of Amr Ezzat’s ‘The Deer’s Visit’
“Almost 15 years ago, my ex-wife’s father told me that he used his connections in the security services to find out how dangerous my political activity was, and they told him that my political classification in their files was: sympathetic to communists.”
Ibrahim Aslan’s ‘The Rare Meeting with Al-Aqqad’
“That is how this man, along with Taha Hussein—both of whom were legendary figures who dominated our intellectual and spiritual life—transformed into a mighty monster, one whose only virtue was to degrade me.”