“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.
Fiction
“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.
Almost Every Day—from the novel by Mohammed Abdelnabi
An exclusive excerpt from Mohammed Abdelnabi's latest novel "Almost Every Day," translated from the Arabic by Nada Faris.
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.
“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.