Read These Books by Arab American Authors
An inspiring collection of remarkable titles to mark Arab American Heritage Month in the US, showcasing vibrant culture and a rich history.
Rana Asfour
TMR’s Top 10 Must-Read Memoirs in 2025
A curated selection of memoirs for 2025 featuring captivating stories that provide deep insight into the human experience.
The Closed Door—Return to Syria
After 13 years away, writer Odai Al Zoubi returns to Syria following the Assad regime's collapse, aiming to reconnect with a lost time.
Return to Damascus…the Long Road Home
A son of Hama — a former prisoner and now a TV correspondent — takes his first steps towards his country in over a decade.
“Ghosts of Farsis”—a cyberpunk story
The story is part of Hussein Fawzy's cyberpunk story collection “Graduation Project” recently published by Waziz House.
Top 10 Books to Read this Fall
Editors recommend their top ten titles to read this season, from novels set in Egypt, Zanzibar, Oman and Palestine to Afghan and Syrian nonfiction.
Mohammad Hafez Ragab: Upsetting the Guards of Cairo
Maha Al Aswad sheds light on Egyptian writer Mohammad Hafez Ragab, a literary figure of the 1960s whose works have been vastly overlooked.
“Fragments from a Gaza Nightmare”—fiction from Sama Hassan
A Gaza-based writer captures the intense and harrowing experiences of individuals enduring the brutal realities of genocide.
“The Mulberry Tree”—an excerpt from Altercation in Jahannam
In the Libyan village “Hell,” temperatures soar to unimaginable heights, and war breaks out over a parking space in the shade of a tree.
The Top 12 Books to Read This Summer
Travel through the center of the world this summer from the comfort of your couch when you pick up any of these wonderful books.
“Deferred Sorrow”—fiction from Haidar Al Ghazali
In Haidar Al Ghazali's short story, a Palestinian father during the war on Gaza makes an impossible choice.
Bloodied Dispatches—Ahmed Isselmou on the Gaza Carnage
The assault on Gaza is the longest and deadliest Israeli offensive to date, and the worst in targeting journalists and their families.
Feurat Alani: Paris, Fallujah and Recovered Memory
Feurat Alani, a French novelist of Iraqi descent, succeeds in capturing the connections between two disparate cultural spheres.
Four Books to Revolutionize Your Thinking
TMR's managing editor, Rana Asfour, offers four books to challenge the world as we know it.
“Twelve Angels”—fiction from Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi
In this short story by Egyptian writer Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi, translated from Arabic, a man contends with his mortality on his death bed.
Huda Fakhreddine’s A Brief Time Under a Different Sun
Exclusive excerpt from Huda Fahreddine's "A Brief Time Under a Different Sun," translated from the Arabic by Rana Asfour.
A Jaha in the Metaverse—fiction by Fadi Zaghmout
A short story by Jordanian writer Fadi Zaghout in which a traditional Jordanian "Jaha" ceremony takes place in the metaverse.
Sustainability: Rethinking the City in the United Arab Emirates
Rana Asfour on the UAE's intervention solutions for energy-efficient, sustainable buildings rooted in the city.
A Day in the Life of a Saturday Market Trawler in Cairo
Karoline Kamel captures the enchantment of Egypt's flea markets where a nostalgic encounter with a Barbie doll fulfilled a childhood longing.
“The Cactus”—new fiction from Mohammed Al Naas
Can a man who loves a woman prove his mettle by taking proper care of a cactus that stings him with its spines?
Fiction: An Excerpt from Fadi Zaghmout’s Hope On Earth
In a dystopian world, thanks to AI, people no longer die because they can be upgraded to better and more functional forms.
Cruising the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair
TMR's managing editor, Rana Asfour, checks out one of the world's largest book events looking for literary mana.
Artist At Work: Maya Youssef Finds Home in the Qanun
Rana Asfour talks to Syrian-born and raised qanunist Maya Youssef, who now lives and teaches in the UK.
Did You Say Doha? (Books to Get You Started On Qatar)
Our top picks on what to read from Qatar.
War and the Absurd in Zein El-Amine’s Watermelon Stories
Rana Asfour reviews a collection of stories from writer and educator Zein El-Amine, who was born and raised in Lebanon.
The Markaz Review Interview—Hisham Bustani
Rana Asfour interviews fellow Jordanian writer Hisham Bustani about his stories, writing in Arabic and ideas on history and quantum physics.
Reading Iraq: Our Top 10 List of Iraqi Fiction
A list of must-read Iraqi fiction, from Ahmed Saadawi's "Frankenstein in Baghdad" to Sinan Antoon's "The Book of Collateral Damage."
Editor’s Picks: Magical Realism in Iranian Lit
Rana Asfour has selected four contemporary novels of Iranian literature for this special issue on Iran in TMR Weekly.
Abu Dhabi Shows Noura Ali-Ramahi’s “Allow Me Not to Explain”
Rana Asfour talks to an Emirati about her ideas and development as an artist.
“What Are You Doing in Berlin?”—a short story by Ahmed Awny
Egyptian writer Ahmed Awny divigates between fiction and reality in this decentering short story.
Phoneless in Filthy Berlin
Maisan Hamdan, a single Palestinian woman, attempts to survive in Berlin without a cell phone.
After Nine Years in Detention, an Iraqi is Finally Granted Asylum
Rana Asfour reviews the third novel from Dutch Iraqi writer Rodaan Al Galidi.
Libyan Stories from the novel “Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table”
The Markaz Review presents Libya's Mohammed al-Naas in these exclusive excerpts translated by Rana Asfour.
“The Devil’s Waiting List”—a story by Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi
A solitary bachelor, seeking success as a writer, wonders what he has to do in contemporary Cairo to get ahead.
Leaving One’s Country in Mai Al-Nakib’s “An Unlasting Home”
Rana Asfour reviews Mai Al-Nakib's debut novel, in which the protagonist always thought she would leave her country.
“Godshow.com”—a short story by Ahmed Naji
The Egyptian novelist and author of "Rotten Evidence: Reading and Writing in Prison" finds versions of Islam in the Nevada desert.
Joumana Haddad: “Victim #232”
A preview of the new Arabic novel from the author of "I Killed Scheherazade" and "Superman is an Arab."
Siena and Her Art Soothe a Writer’s Grieving Soul
Rana Asfour reviews Libyan-American author Hisham Matar's memoir of his time in Siena, Italy.
A Miscarriage of Justice in the Case of Mahmood Hussain Mattan
Rana Asfour reviews the Booker Prize-nominated novel by Nadifa Mohamed based on the true story of a wrongly-convicted Somali in 1950s Cardiff.
Fadi Zaghmout’s banned-in-Jordan “Laila”: a TMR Valentine
In this excerpt of the banned Jordanian novel "Laila," introduced by Rana Asfour and translated by Hajer Almosleh, readers get a sense of Fadi Zaghmout's prose and purpose.
Taming the Immigrant: Musings of a Writer in Exile
Former prisoner and Egyptian writer in exile Ahmed Naji contemplates what it means to be a "brown writer" in exile in America.
Meditations on The Ungrateful Refugee
Rana Asfour shares her thoughts on the widely-celebrated book from Dina Nayeri, who writes that escaping and becoming a refugee preoccupied her life for more than 20 years.
Temptations of the Imagination: how Jana Elhassan and Samar Yazbek transmogrify the world
Rana Asfour provides an intimate look at two new Arab novels in translation, from Lebanese and Syrian authors.
From Jerusalem to a Kingdom by the Sea
Rana Asfour reviews a new memoir about the legendary Dajani family, charged by a Turkish sultan with watching over King David's Tomb in Jerusalem, but exiled in 1948.
Three Banned Saudi Novels Everyone Should Read
Despite its repressive regimes, Saudi Arabia has produced a number of world-class novelists — several of whom have seen their best work banned. Rana Asfour reviews three in English translation.
I Love Wasta, Hate Standing in Line in Egypt, But I Am Poor
After surviving an Egyptian prison and obtaining asylum in the United States, Ahmed Naji contemplates wasta and standing in line.
The Maps of Our Destruction: Two Novels on Syria
Rana Asfour reviews Faysal Khartash's Roundabout of Death and Zeyn Joukhadar's The Map of Salt and Stars.
Three North African Novels Dance Between Colonial & Postcolonial Worlds
BookFabulous' Rana Asfour delivers capsule reviews of three recent North African novels from Libya and Morocco.
Muhammad Malas, Syria’s Auteur, is the subject of a Film Biography
Rana Asfour reviews a documentary by Nezar Andary on the Syrian auteur filmmaker, Muhammad Malas.
The “Surreal Hell” That Made Tahar Ben Jelloun a Writer
The Punishment is a first-person account from an author who considers writers to be "witnesses of history."