Why Berlin?
Editor Jordan Elgrably introduces the BERLIN issue guest editor, Viola Shafik, and more than a dozen new contributors to TMR.
TMR 24 • BERLIN
Translating Walter Benjamin on Berlin, a German-Arabic Journey
Ahmed Farouk, the Arabic translator of Günter Grass, W. G. Sebald and Rosa Luxemburg, among others, struggles with Walter Benjamin.
“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.
“Another German”—a short story by Ahmed Awadalla
An Egyptian refugee in Berlin, longing for a home of his own, hopes love is around the corner.
Kader Attia, Berlin Biennale’s Curator
Melissa Chemam profiles contemporary Algerian-French artist Kader Attia as he discusses his role with the Berlin Biennale.
Two Women Artists Dialogue with Berlin and the Biennale
Viola Shafik profiles Jihan El-Tahiri and Myriam El Haïk, two Arab artists in the 2022 Berlin Biennale.
Ziad Kalthoum: Trajectory of a Syrian Filmmaker
Film historian Viola Shafik interviews Syrian filmmaker Ziad Kalthoum about his peripatetic life in Syria and beyond.
My Berlin Triptych: On Museums and Restitution
Filmmaker and historian Viola Shafik muses on German art, colonialism and restitution in Berlin.
The Intruders and the City
Rasha Abbas, a Syrian writer who ventures into the surreal, examines her conflicted relationship with Berlin.
Phoneless in Filthy Berlin
Maisan Hamdan, a single Palestinian woman, attempts to survive in Berlin without a cell phone.
Berlin Gastronomical: A Feast of Flavors
Author and literature professor Randa Aboubakr, who travels back and forth from Cairo to Berlin, explores the city's Arab offerings.
Kairo Koshary, Berlin’s Egyptian Food Truck
A serial entrepreneur, engineer and nomad settles in Berlin, only to start up an Egyptian food truck.
Cem Kaya on the Sound of Turkey in Germany
Necati Sönmez, a Berlin film critic and curator, reviews the new music documentary from German-Turkish director Cem Kaya.
The Mystery of Tycoon Michel Baida in Old Arab Berlin
Film curator and scholar Irit Neidhardt searches for clues to the Berlin disappearance of gramophone tycoon Michel Baida.
Unapologetic Palestinians, Reactionary Germans
Abir Kopty argues that German guilt is being used to silence Palestinians and others who protest on their behalf.