TMR
NOIR
- TMR
- Editorial
Escaping the “Cockroach”—On Melancholy and Noir
Like a classic noir narrative in which morality blurs and truth is slippery, the world today feels increasingly absurd and nihilistic.
- TMR
- Fiction
“An Unwritten Poem”—new fiction by Omar Khalifah
In this exclusive short story, a Palestinian aspiring poet in New York City tries to solve an unsolvable mystery.
5 December 2025 • By Omar Khalifah- TMR
- Featured Artist
Featured Artist Ala Younis: Ambiguous Architectures in Abu Dhabi
When Ala Younis came to Abu Dhabi, she learned buildings were torn down and rebuilt in 20-year cycles due to weather conditions.
5 December 2025 • By Arie Amaya-AkkermansMORE FROM THIS ISSUE
In Praise of Half-Light: Notes from a Gray City
Playwright Melis Aker makes a compelling argument in favor of shadows — the only cure for a brightly-colored, fast-moving, attention economy.
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY MELIS AKER
“Tuesday”—a story from Palestine
In this tautly written short story, Majd Aburrub charts the existential dread — and excruciating boredom — of navigating Israeli checkpoints.
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY MAJD ABURRUB
A Bomb for Personal Use—an excerpt
This gritty thriller interweaves multiple perspectives to explore exile, identity, resistance, and the human cost of war.
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY MIRNA AL-MAHDI
It Was Just an Accident: A Haunting Tale of Revenge
Jafar Panahi’s film reminds us that vengeance doesn’t stop at borders — it’s seeped into our feeds, our politics, our group chats.
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY ALEX DEMYANENKO
The Price of Freedom: Prison Writings from Post-Revolutionary Egypt
Does prison lead to writing? “Even if you’re not a writer at first, you start to write in prison in order to survive.” —Ngugi wa Thiong’o
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY REBECCA RUTH GOULD
10 Noir Films from the Arab world, Iran, and Turkey
From classic noir to chilling psychological thriller, these ten films encapsulate the cinematographic experience of NOIR.
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY TMR
A Never-Ending Day—an excerpt
Small-time criminal Magdy survives a rowdy street fight, an angry brother, and an accidental murder — all in one never-ending day.
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY MOHAB AREF
White Collar Noir: How John Roberts Corrupted the U.S. Supreme Court
In this new book, Lisa Graves digs at the rot and corruption that presently defines a conservative U.S. Supreme Court.
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY STEPHEN ROHDE
“Tahmina”—a story from Iran
In this dark tale, Tahmina, after running her whole life — from war, exile, and financial hardship — can't stop yet.
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY ABDOLLAH NAZARI
Kurdish poet Bejan Matur on Finding Poetry in a Vortex
"I know the poem is waiting for me somewhere," explains Bejan Matur, whose lyrical poetry bridges oral tradition with written word.
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY BEJAN MATUR
Pharmakon State: A Republic of Ruins, a Ritual of Return
An art exhibition in Damascus is filled with works that build upon trauma, asking: What happens after the collapse?
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY ROBERT BOCIAGA
The End of the Sahara—an excerpt
A novel that tells the story of the end of socialism in Algeria, almost one year before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
5 DECEMBER 2025 • BY SAïD KHAITIBI