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.
Category: Book Reviews
Sabyl Ghoussoub Heads for Beirut in Search of Himself
Adil Bouhelal reviews the new novel from the author of "Le Nez Juif" with its exploration of Lebanon from 1975 forward.
End of an Era: Al Saqi Bookshop in London Closes
Malu Halasa surveys the legacy of Al Saqi while also lamenting the end of Banipal Magazine and the retirement of the British Museum's Venetia Porter.
Mohamed Makhzangi Despairs at Man’s Cruelty to Animals
Saliha Haddad reviews the new translation of a major collection of short stories by the Egyptian author.
Fida Jiryis on Palestine in Stranger in My Own Land
Diana Buttu, a Palestinian lawyer in Haifa, reviews the family memoir that evokes nearly a century of Palestinian trauma.
Football in the Middle East: State, Society, and the Beautiful Game
Justin Olivier Salhani reviews a new anthology on football and the Middle East just as the World Cup kicks off in Qatar.
Changing Colors — Reflections on The Last White Man
Jordan Elgrably reads a book about white fear and racism and finds that colorism isn't our only problem.
The Life of Malika in Vivre à ta lumière
Jean-Philippe Cazier reviews the latest novel in French from Moroccan writer Abdellah Taïa, written in memory of his mother.
Zoulikha, Forgotten Freedom Fighter of the Algerian War
Fouad Mami meditates on a nearly forgotten heroine of Algeria's war for independence, who was memorialzied in an Assia Djebar novel.
Cassette Tapes Once Captured Egypt’s Popular Culture
Mariam Elnohazy reviews "Media of the Masses," a new book on the history of Egyptian cassette culture.
The Art of Translation is Akin to “Dancing on Ropes”
Deborah Kapchan reviews the new book on translation from Anna Aslanyan.
A London Murder Mystery Leads to Jihadis and Syria
Ghazi Gheblawi reviews "The Darkness Inside," a literary thriller set in the world of social media and foreign wars.