Plenty of Marjanes & Leilas: Collective Strategies of the Women’s Protest in Iran
Marjane Satrapi's edited anthology "Woman, Life, Freedom" shows that the story of the movement cannot be told with only one voice.
The Imagination Interviews
Upheavals of Beauty and Oppression in The Oud Player of Cairo
Jasmin Attia's novel vividly portrays Egypt and Cairo by beautifully conjuring music and sound through descriptive prose.
Life Along Istanbul’s Byzantine Walls, a Review
Arie Amaya-Akkermans on a book that reviews not only Turkey’s social and political deterioration over the last decade, but also the violence of the past, both recent and distant.
World Picks from the Editors: June 28 — July 15
TMR editors highlight their picks of events, books, films, podcasts and other cultural products from around the globe.
The Battle for Climate Justice vs. Environmental Orientalism
Little-reported green colonialism is occurring in the sun-rich but water-deprived MENA region, writes Richard Lim in this review.
Creating Community with Community Theatre
A community theatre company working in Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine empowers women who often are not professional actors.
Is Amin Maalouf’s Latest Novel, On the Isle of Antioch, a Parody?
Farah-Silvana Kanan questions whether, in this novel, the Franco-Lebanese master is at the height of his powers, or is having us on...
How to Write About Kurdistan
A writer's satirical guide on how to write about the hapless, subjugated Kurds, if you're not already filming them for a documentary.
World Picks From The Editors: June 15 — June 30
TMR editors highlight their picks of events, books, films, podcasts and other cultural products from around the globe.
Three Poems by Somaia Ramish
Somaia Ramish's poems, originally in Persian, decry violence against women, underage or forced marriage, poverty and the impact of extremism and war.
Two Poems by Michael Waters
Poet Michael Water's work is "novelistic in depth and reach, elegiac in its embrace of the living and the dead, raw in its fraught vulnerability."
Why Theatre?—an Editorial
In which the editors of The Markaz Review and playwright Hassan Abdulrazzak present the theatre issue.
Dare Not Speak—a One-Act Play
A stage director declines producing a play about a child tragically murdered during a genocide, fearing she may appear biased.
As We Near the End (or What Adorno Said)
In his play, Youssef El Guindi debates whether art is merely a distraction or if it can truly change the world.
Theatre is the Thing: TMR’s Best-Books List
Editors at The Markaz Review recommend twelve titles published over a 20-year period presenting a broad range of Middle Eastern plays.