Shahla Ujayli’s “Summer With the Enemy”
War-torn Syria isn't just about headlines. In this new novel from Shahla Ujayli, the country comes alive as seen through the eyes of three women from Raqqa.
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Shahla Ujayli’s “Summer With the Enemy”
War-torn Syria isn’t just about headlines. In this new novel from Shahla Ujayli, the country comes alive as seen through the eyes of three women from Raqqa.
Trembling Landscapes: Between Reality and Fiction: Eleven Artists from the Middle East*
Landscape is a charged notion in the Middle East—even the geographical term Middle East is not neutral, but Eurocentric and has its origin in colonialism. Co-curator Nat Muller explains.
The Mysteries of Translation in “Stranger Fictions”
Europe is the center of the world and has the literature to prove it. Or is it? Arabic and comparative literature scholar Rebecca C. Johnson makes a different argument in Stranger Fictions.
Freedom is femininity: Faraj Bayrakdar
18 years in the making, this winter Upset Press will publish a new volume of poems by former Syrian political prisoner and cause célèbre Faraj Bayrakdar.
You Drive Me Crazy, from “Bride of the Sea”
In this debut novel Eman Quotah practically delivers an epic as she writes about a Saudi family, torn between Arab and American identities and culture clashes.
Hassan Blasim’s “God 99”
God 99 blurs the boundaries between fiction and autobiography, reportage and the novel. It blends the fantastic with the everyday to explore themes of exile, humanity, art and philosophy.
Children of the Ghetto, My Name Is Adam
With Children of the Ghetto, My Name is Adam, a lyrical story about Palestine's 1948 exodus, Elias Khoury continues his exploration of the 20th century tragedy.
Threading the Needle: Najwa Najjar’s “Between Heaven and Earth”
Ammiel Alcalay reviews writer/director Najwa Najjar's third feature film—"part road movie, part mystery, part thriller."
To Be or Not to Be, That is Not the Question
December 12, 2020 marks the 95th birthday of the revolutionary and controversial Iranian poet, translator, essayist, editor, encyclopedist, and cultural figure, Ahmad Shamlou (1925-2000).
Kuwait’s Alanoud Alsharekh, Feminist Groundbreaker
Nada Ghosn speaks to Dr. Alanoud Alsharekh in our monthly series profiling trailblazing Arab, Iranian and other women of the Middle East and North Africa.
Assaulting Free Speech in the Israel/Palestine Debate
Columnist Firouzeh Afsharnia says Facebook shut her down for bringing up Israel's heavy-handedness when it comes to Iran and flouting international law.
The Unbearable Affront of Colorism
Banah al Ghadbanah on the scourge of racism/colorism in Syrian communities and how it is tied to centuries-old endemic anti-Blackness and internalized colonialism.
Breathing in a Plague
Kurdish poet-scholar-translator Selîm Temo thinks of the young Thomas Bernhard and his infant son as he fights for life in intensive care.
The Unvarnished Truth about Obama, Harris and Diversity without Accountability
Columnist Mara Ahmed isn't fooled by Obama's burnished spin, nor is she taken in by Kamala Harris' mixed Indian-Jamaican heritage.