“Besara”—an excerpt from Things Are Not in Their Place
An excerpt from Omani writer Huda Hamed’s bittersweet coming-of-age novel about race and self in a new English translation by Zia Ahmed.
Fiction
“Cotton Flower”—a short story by Areej Gamal
Areej Gamal's translated short story from Egypt depicts a potted plant and forbidden love that become intertwined, with an unexpected outcome
“The Forgotten”—a short story by Oğuz Atay
Regarded internationally as one of Turkey’s greatest writers, Oğuz Atay (1934-1977) remains largely untranslated into English.
“I, Mariam”—a story by Joumana Haddad
Joumana Haddad's short story delves into a woman's lifelong journey of navigating her relationship with the hijab.
“Paris of the Middle East”—fiction by MK Harb
With tarot cards and a recipe for pickled turnips, Beirutis bid farewell to yet another friend leaving on a “talent passport” to somewhere else.
“The Minisecures”—excerpt from The History of the Gods of Egypt
Bonfire of the vanities: A second-rate artist imagines the prophets and the grand, holy tales of monotheism.
“The Map of a Genocide Victim”—fiction from Faris Lounis
A few entries on a genocidal map...A walk in the Valley of Death that is the war on Gaza and the reckoning to come.
“Drinking Tea at Lahore Chai Masters”—a story by Farah Ahamed
When Mehreen and Asma compare notes, they realize they are still not unfettered lovers.
Inci Atrek’s Intercultural Novel—Holiday Country
Amy Omar explores her own Turkish American identity while relating to Turkish American writer Inci Atrek and her debut novel.
“New Reasons”—a short story by Samira Azzam
In a translated tale from Palestine’s first lady of short stories, the newest technology exacts a toll on people ahead of their time.
“The Summer They Heard Music”—a short story by MK Harb
There are some long, languid and even dangerous summers that Beirutis can never forget, and this is one of them.
“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.
“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.
“Kabul’s Haikus”—fiction from Maryam Mahjoba
In this short story by Maryam Mahjoba, a teacher from Japan travels to Afghanistan to teach at a girl's school.
“The Waiting Bones”—an essay by Maryam Haidari
As this writer from Khuzestan remembers, the long Iran-Iraq war left many traces, names and ghosts in its eight-year wake.