Rana Asfour

Phoneless in Filthy Berlin

Phoneless in Filthy Berlin

Maisan Hamdan, a single Palestinian woman, attempts to survive in Berlin without a cell phone.

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Maisan Hamdan, Rana Asfour
After Nine Years in Detention, an Iraqi is Finally Granted Asylum

After Nine Years in Detention, an Iraqi is Finally Granted Asylum

Rana Asfour reviews the third novel from Dutch Iraqi writer Rodaan Al Galidi.

22 AUGUST 2022 • By Rana Asfour
Libyan Stories from the novel “Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table”

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.

18 JULY 2022 • By Mohammed Alnaas, Rana Asfour
“The Devil’s Waiting List”—a story by Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi

“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...

15 JULY 2022 • By Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi, Rana Asfour
Leaving One’s Country in Mai Al-Nakib’s “An Unlasting Home”

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.

27 JUNE 2022 • By Rana Asfour
“Godshow.com”—a short story by Ahmed Naji

“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...

15 JUNE 2022 • By Ahmed Naji, Rana Asfour
Joumana Haddad: “Victim #232”

Joumana Haddad: “Victim #232”

A preview of the new Arabic novel from the author of "I Killed Scheherazade" and "Superman is an...

15 JUNE 2022 • By Joumana Haddad, Rana Asfour
Siena and Her Art Soothe a Writer’s Grieving Soul

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.

25 APRIL 2022 • By Rana Asfour
A Miscarriage of Justice in the Case of Mahmood Hussain Mattan

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...

7 MARCH 2022 • By Rana Asfour
Fadi Zaghmout’s banned-in-Jordan “Laila”: a TMR Valentine

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,...

14 FEBRUARY 2022 • By Fadi Zaghmout, Rana Asfour
Taming the Immigrant: Musings of a Writer in Exile

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"...

15 JANUARY 2022 • By Ahmed Naji, Rana Asfour
Meditations on The Ungrateful Refugee

Meditations on The Ungrateful Refugee

Rana Asfour shares her thoughts on the widely-celebrated book from Dina Nayeri, who writes that escaping and becoming...

15 JANUARY 2022 • By Rana Asfour
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