Mama’s Kitchen
A writer looks back on formative memories of her mother and grandmother in the kitchen and wonders about the value of women’s work — and whether love’s labor is ever truly lost.
Lina Mounzer
The Conqueror of Time—Egyptian Cryogenics
Nihad Sherif's 1972 novel is a pioneering Arabic sci-fi work on human cryopreservation, with prose reminiscent of Mahfouz and Taha Hussein.
A Year of War Without End
In the guise of an editorial, senior editor Lina Mounzer struggles to find the words to describe the horror of the past year, and hopelessness as we confront endless war.
Flaubert’s Poison Pen
Flaubert's theory of meaning and form rests on a mystical conception of the nature of writing, alongside the theory of music in writing.
The Arab Writer in Paris; Paris in the Arab Writer
Coline Houssais explores the rich tapestry of Arab literature intertwined with the poetic allure of Paris.
Why “Burn It all Down”?
Senior editor Lina Mounzer articulates the inexpressible, inconsolable feelings at a time when genocide is occurring before the eyes of the world.
Rotten Evidence: Ahmed Naji Writes About Writing in Prison
In tone, "Rotten Evidence" is cynical, bitterly funny, and oftentimes tender without ever being sentimental, writes Lina Mounzer.
Love Across Borders—on Romance, Restrictions and Happy Endings
Lina Mounzer reviews the new book by Anna Lekas Miller that gathers stories of love- and border-challenged couples.
“Of Wood and Hallucination”—fiction from Mansoura Ez-Eldin
After the war, a few scant survivors become one with the elements, and one takes to writing down thousands of words a day in an invented language.
Palestine and the Unspeakable
Prefacing our special Palestine issue, senior editor Lina Mounzer attempts to express the horror that has become the reality in Gaza.