Huda Fakhreddine’s A Brief Time Under a Different Sun
Exclusive excerpt from Huda Fahreddine's "A Brief Time Under a Different Sun," translated from the Arabic by Rana Asfour.
Fiction
“I, Hanan”—a Gazan tale of survival by Joumana Haddad
A young woman in Gaza who has already lost so much wants to live another day, in this short story by Joumana Haddad.
“Junk”—a short story by May Haddad
Recycling violence, a fighting droid wants to leave a dystopian world of mechanized blood sports, but a human gets in the way.
A Jaha in the Metaverse—fiction by Fadi Zaghmout
A short story by Jordanian writer Fadi Zaghout in which a traditional Jordanian "Jaha" ceremony takes place in the metaverse.
“The Followers”—a short story by Youssef Manessa
A selfish loser walks away from wasta and the Za’im' nefarious agenda he created and instrumentalized in this short story by Youssef Manessa.
Bahar: 22 years in the Life of a Compulsory Hijabi in Teheran
Joumana Haddad tells the true story of a young Iranian woman in Tehran, albeit vehicled by fiction.
The Fiction of Palestine’s Ghassan Zaqtan
Cory Oldweiler reviews three novellas by Bethlehem born and raised, Ramallah-based poet and writer Ghassan Zaqtan.
“Before the Earthquake”—a short story by Salah Badis
In which a woman ponders the fate of the individuals who left behind their garments, now long forgotten, at the laundromat.
“The Hauntology of Varosha” or “Room Number 137 of the Argo Hotel”
A Cypriot writer's story about a forgotten child in an abandoned town the writer looked on to from her window in Cyprus.
“My Rebellious Feet”—a story by Diary Marif
A Kurdish boy in Sulemani province in northern Iraq, near the Iranian border, would do anything to own a proper pair of shoes.
The Contemporary Literary Scene in Iran
Salar Abdoh reports from Tehran on the beauty and complexity of Iranian literature that thrives despite warring factions.
“Silence is Golden”—a short story by Farah Ahamed
In Farah Ahamed's latest satire, one man's misunderstood greatness drives him to take preposterous action.
“Supplication”—a short story by Hisham Bustani
In Hisham Bustani’s new short story, one man’s religious nightmare brings him face to face with an unlikely public intellectual of his day.
“Kaleidoscope: In Pursuit of the Real in a Virtual World”—fiction from Dina Abou Salem
Caught between Beirut and a town in the Californian desert, Buthayna searches for the meaning amid life’s absurdities.
“The Beggar King”—a short story by Michael Scott Moore
Michael Scott Moore channels veteran experiences through a wily cat as an Iraq war vet tries to readapt to life in Calaveras, California.