Egypt’s Gatekeeper—President or Despot?
Maged Mandour’s new book examines El-Sisi's exercise and abuse of power in post-revolutionary Egypt.
Arab Spring
Moheb Soliman presents two poems from HOMES
Far from his first country, a poet maps the shoreline of the Great Lakes from the rocky North Shore of Minnesota to the Thousand Islands of eastern Ontario.
The Elephant in the Box
Revisiting her memories of Egypt's January 25 revolution, Asmaa Elgamal finds that denying common sense is the worst oppression.
Days of Oranges—Libya’s Thawra
Yesmine Abida recalls the end of her family's time in Tripoli and the beginning of a life without a center.
Youssef Rakha Practices Literary Deception in Emissaries
Zein El-Amine reviews the first collection of "original, irreverent" short stories written in English by Egyptian writer Youssef Rahka.
“Raise Your Head High”—new fiction from Leila Aboulela
Cairo-born novelist Leila Aboulela weaves the sad story of two sisters' alienation on the eve of the uprising in Tahrir Square.
Letter From Tehran: From Hair to Hugs, Times Are Changing
One of Iran's contemporary writers shares his thoughts with a friend in the west about the direction the country is going as a result of the Mahsa Amini protests.
The Chess Moves of Tarik Saleh’s Spy Thriller, Boy From Heaven
Karim Goury revels in the new feature from Swedish Egyptian director Tarik Saleh.
Stadiums, Ghosts & Games—Football’s International Intrigue
Francisco Letelier reminisces on his soccer identities in Chile and the USA, while delving into the international politics of the game.
Free Alaa Now
The Markaz Review joins 15 Nobel Prize for Literature laureates and millions around the world in calling for Alaa Abd El-Fattah's immediate release.
The Egyptian Revolution and “The Republic of False Truths”
Aimee Dassa Kligman reviews the latest novel from the exiled author of "The Yacoubian Building."
Tunisia—Towards the End of the Dream of Democracy
Our columnist on the ground in Tunis, Emna Mizouni, reluctantly reports that Tunisia's fragile democracy appears doomed.
“Ghodwa” or the Bitter Taste of the Unfinished Tunisian Revolution
Sarah Ben Hamadi reviews a new Tunisian feature film that weighs the successes and failures of the revolution.
“A Tunisian Revolt” — the Rebel Power of Arab Comics
Writer-translator Nada Ghosn talks to the illustrator of a new graphic novel recounting one of Tunisia's earliest uprisings, in 1984, presaging the Jasmine Revolution.
Why COMIX? An Emerging Medium of Writing the Middle East and North Africa
TMR’s guest editor Aomar Boum admires the growing movement of political cartooning in North Africa and the Middle East.