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TMR 33 • Stories From The Markaz

If pictures are worth a thousand words then short stories are worth a thousand-and-one. The Markaz Review’s double 2023 summer literary issue features short stories, memoir, plays, a graphic novel, and creative nonfiction, some of which appears in English for the first time, translated from Arabic or Persian, with wide-ranging themes, from from domestic abuse in Egypt to multiracial relationships in London and queer life in Beirut.

2 July, 2023 • Malu Halasa

Stories From The Markaz, Stories From the Center

TMR's literary editor introduces the 2023 double summer literary issue.

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2 July, 2023 • Mohamed Aboelgheit, Rudaina Halasa

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

A moving testimony to life, death, and the human condition by an Egyptian journalist who was blessed, and cursed.

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2 July, 2023 • Danial Haghighi, Salar Abdoh

“Here, Freedom”—fiction from Danial Haghighi

A small town couple have a brutally honest conversation about marriage in light of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests.

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2 July, 2023 • Mohammed Alnaas, Rana Asfour

“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?

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2 July, 2023 • Alireza Iranmehr, Salar Abdoh

Arrival in the Dark—fiction from Alireza Iranmehr

Away from prying eyes, two lonely people pass time together under the state of emergency that has become Iran.

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2 July, 2023 • Natasha Tynes

“The Agency”—a story by Natasha Tynes

A shrewd businesswoman runs a matchmaking agency in Amman that finds brides for male clients based on a virginity scale.

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2 July, 2023 • Ola Mustapha

We Saw Paris, Texas—a story by Ola Mustapha

In Ola Mustapha's new story, a man falls for the seduction of a film and it becomes the blueprint for love, life, and even death.

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2 July, 2023 • Farah Ahamed

Rich and Poor People—fiction by Farah Ahamed

After her controlling husband dies, a wealthy woman obsesses over the neighborhood crows until her maid decides to take matters into her own hands.

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2 July, 2023 • Deborah Kapchan

Being Without Belonging: A Jewish Wedding in Abu Dhabi

Deborah Kapchan's introspection on belonging and faith on attending the first officially recognized Jewish wedding in the United Arab Emirates.

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2 July, 2023 • Aliyeh Ataei, Siavash Saadlou

“My Mother is a Tree”—a story by Aliyeh Ataei

Aliyeh Ataei's new story centers on a young woman exploring herself as a writer while choosing life in Paris.

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2 July, 2023 • Jordan Elgrably

“The Afghan and the Persian”—a short story by Jordan Elgrably

An Afghan refugee, survivor of a shipwreck, washes up on the shores of southern France and applies for asylum in Montpellier.

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2 July, 2023 • MK Harb

“The City Within”—fiction from MK Harb

In MK Harb's latest story, a man steps out of his home in Beirut after two years of living in isolation to a life-changing encounter.

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2 July, 2023 • Omid Arabian

Zahhāk: An Etiology of Evil

Omid Arabian recounts the legend of the serpent king from Ferdowsi's epic "Shāhnameh," exploring human psychology and the roots of tyranny.

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2 July, 2023 • Doreen Metzner

Rebels of the Alpujarras: a House in Granada

Nestled in the old Arab quarter of Granada lies a house with an exceptional Morisco history, the Carmen Aben Humeya.

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2 July, 2023 • Mai Al-Nakib

“The Burden of Inheritance”—fiction from Mai Al-Nakib

In Mai Al-Nakib’s new short story, a woman makes a Herculean effort to preserve the memory and artwork of her late husband.

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The Markaz Review is a literary arts publication and cultural institution that curates content and programs on the greater Middle East and our communities in diaspora. The Markaz signifies “the center” in Arabic, as well as Persian, Turkish, Hebrew and Urdu.

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Los Angeles CA 90028
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34000 Montpellier
France

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