Is Amin Maalouf’s Latest Novel, <em>On the Isle of Antioch</em>, a Parody?

Marwan Kassab-Bachi aka Marwan (Syria, 1934-2016), Untitled, oil on canvas, 81x100 cm, 1975 (photo Mansour Dib, courtesy DAF Beirut).

14 JUNE 2024 • By Farah-Silvana Kanaan

In which the reviewer questions whether, in this novel, the Franco-Lebanese master is at the height of his powers, or is having us on…

 

On the Isle of Antioch, a novel by Amin Maalouf
Translated by Natasha Lehrer
World Editions 2024
ISBN 9781642861341

 

Farah-Silvana Kanaan

 

When and under what circumstances one reads a book will undoubtedly color one’s reading experience and overall receptiveness to it. Like many people these days, my mind is consumed with Gaza and, whether consciously or subconsciously, I couldn’t help but look for parallels in the dystopian world created by Amin Maalouf in his latest novel. Ultimately, such parallels turn out to be the story’s only enjoyable element, its near-yet-not-quite saving grace.

Amin Maalouf On the Isle of Antioch
On the Isle of Antioch is published by World Editions.

The premise of the epistolary On the Isle of Antioch — related in the form of journal entries by the protagonist — is appealing. Who hasn’t dreamed of moving to a tiny and sparsely populated island, spending all day writing or drawing and swimming in the sea, and getting drawn into a life-changing adventure, one that fundamentally changes how we see the world and our place in it? That’s sort of what happens in On the Isle of Antioch, which is set on a fictional French Atlantic Ocean island. (There is a real-world Strait of Antioch off the western coast of France. The strait is named after the city ­— famed for its role in early Christian history — located in modern-day Turkey.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Political cartoonist Alec Zander’s lonely yet otherwise idyllic existence is rudely disturbed when he wakes up one morning to find all communication with the outside world cut off. Alec calls on his only neighbor, Ève, a disillusioned, alcoholic writer who penned a cult novel a decade earlier. She is unable to help but will figure prominently in the story. When the power is suddenly restored, a friend of Alec’s who is close to the White House reveals to him that an advanced human race, the “friends of Empedocles,” which evolved separately from ours centuries earlier, has staged an intervention to support our foundering humanity.

Through daily journal entries, Alec then explores the repercussions of this information and how the world, those closest to him, and, most importantly, he himself, react to this development. Intriguing, no?

Alas, the execution leaves much to be desired.

Though ably translated (from the French) by Natasha Lehrer, the book is written with seemingly little respect for the reader, as though it were a homework assignment that Maalouf remembered half an hour before the submission deadline and then hurriedly cobbled together. The resulting superficiality is almost impossible to stomach — as is the banality of the prose. At one point, the protagonist describes the weather outside as “the sky was crying,” a metaphor so rinsed out that my mind immediately conjured up the scene in the film Il Postino (1994) in which the poet Pablo Neruda uses it to explain what a metaphor is to his postman.

More importantly, the story is unconvincing despite its fascinating premise. It turns out that, even though the ultimate goal of the friends of Empedocles — who have named themselves after an ancient Greek philosopher — is to save their less evolved parallel kin, most people come to view them as an existential threat. Yet we find out relatively little about why this is the case, other than mindless hysteria. And we are treated to scenes between Alec and his neighbor that are riddled with clichés. In fact, Ève is a stereotype at every turn. Particularly cringe-worthy is her reacting to the arrival of the friends of Empedocles like some excited little schoolgirl, in sharp contrast with the balanced and intellectual approach of the protagonist.

I feel almost embarrassed to write all this. After all, where do I get the audacity to criticize the work of an author who has not only written 18 novels, but who last year became the new head of the prestigious 388-year-old Académie Francaise? Yet it is precisely because the Franco-Lebanese Maalouf is a literary giant that one is left flabbergasted by the thinness of his latest work.

To be sure, it’s oddly satisfying to have our world be lectured by a far more evolved parallel species on exactly how broken it is. Considering our current state of affairs, and especially the fact that the most powerful country refuses to use its undeniable influence as a force for good — instead insisting on aiding and abetting a genocide — one can easily imagine the friends of Empedocles as the good guys in this scenario. They are the only characters in the story who prove to be interesting and even appealing. Perhaps this was the goal of the author — to illustrate how our species has lost its way and to give us a glimpse into how things could have worked out better. If only we had refused to let ourselves be guided by greed, by othering, by a sense of superiority. It’s almost impossible not to place On the Isle of Antioch in the current context: worldwide student uprisings in response to the Western-supported Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people. Yet this is not enough, in and of itself, to redeem the unconvincing story.

The novel falls short of believably imparting any hope that we might correct our past mistakes and carve out a better path for ourselves. How could it, with the US president laughably presented as a beacon of integrity whose only goal seems to be to save the world, even at his own expense, and with the United States described as “a nation which, in the last few decades, has emerged as the only superpower, and arguably the only civilization”? Considering the actual state of the world, and the role of the US government in it, no level of suspension of disbelief is enough for the reader to willingly accept such a delusional conceit.

At one point, Alec mulls over rumors that the friends of Empedocles have released massive levels of radioactivity with malicious intent, which in turn seems to temporarily unite a deeply divided humanity to fend off the threat. “Could this be true?” he muses. “Was it possible that for once all the nations of the world had put aside their rivalries and longstanding suspicions of each other to come together to try and disarm these overlords who are seeking to subjugate them?”

One can hardly imagine a thinking person in our world entertaining such a pollyannish notion. We humans are far too opportunistic to unite in the face of adversity; many of us would collaborate with those overlords in return for some short-term gain!

Of course, one should never assume that a writer necessarily agrees with his or her protagonist. But there remains the main issue with this novel, namely that the story is told in a lackluster way, with little conviction in the ideas it conveys. As for the dialogue, it ricochets between stilted and borderline ridiculous. Also, the way Ève is portrayed is so one-dimensional that it’s disrespectful:

Ève Saint-Gilles must have been beautiful once. In fact, I know she was, I’ve seen old photos of her: glossy auburn hair, a voluptuous décolleté, and a coquettish smile. But bitterness and alcohol have faded her looks prematurely. I’m fifty-three but look, I’m told—flattery aside—no more than forty-five, while she at thirty-seven looks closer to fifty. And yet her eyes, which you might imagine would be dull, continue to sparkle. If only she’d brush her hair, color it, straighten her shoulders, and stick out her bust—provocatively, generously, flirtatiously, whatever—if only she’d …

For all his unsavory views regarding Ève’s looks, Alec attributes prophetic powers to her, as her book The Future Doesn’t Live Here Anymore turns out to be a highly celebrated literary achievement by the friends of Empedocles. When he finally sits down to read the novel, her supposedly profound worldview boils down to the run-of-the-mill take that we’re doomed and the observation that, although we think we are a superior species, we are in fact supremely self-destructive. Alec, however, is impressed. He reflects that all this “couldn’t be seen with a naked eye when The Future Doesn’t Live Here Anymore came out a dozen years ago,” which “might explain why it caused such a sensation at the time.”

That’s it. Ève is a Cassandra-like figure whose prophecies — for all the controversy they aroused — were not sufficiently appreciated, let alone heeded.

It’s not just Ève who remains frustratingly one-dimensional; every character in the book is poorly fashioned. They are not remotely sympathetic, yet neither do they enjoy any picaresque qualities. Alec is in a class of his own. In addition to his aforementioned off-putting descriptions of Ève, Alec ostensibly belongs to a rare breed of narcissists who refer to themselves as such — which may be honest but is no less distasteful. Also, he seems to look down on anything or anyone non-Western (something that at times characterizes Maalouf himself, here and in other writings).[1] His descriptions of the “less advanced” are so grotesque that I had to physically close the book on more than one occasion and shake my head to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating: “One might argue that over the last few centuries many non-Western societies—India, China, Japan, the Muslim East, sub-Saharan Africa—have seen their medicine, and arguably all their traditional knowledge, fall into disrepute and then gradually be forgotten.”

What might account for all these shortcomings in On the Isle of Antioch? Perhaps the novel is meant to be a scathing parody — of the world we live in, of the United States, of right-wing bloviating about Western civilization versus the barbaric rest, of comically badly written women and casual misogyny. If so, I would happily admit to having been bamboozled, and this entire review would be rendered moot. Maybe the book is some sort of joke played on us all by the author, or a ChatGPT experiment to show us that artificial intelligence remains hobbled by the lingering biases of those who program it. One can only hope.

 

[1] Out of many examples, the following immediately springs to mind: “Anyone who is fascinated, attracted, disturbed, horrified or intrigued by the Arab world is bound from time to time to ask himself certain questions. Why those veils, those chadors, those dreary beards, those calls for assassination? Why so many manifestations of conservatism and violence? Are all these things inherent in such societies, in their culture and religion? Is Islam incom­patible with liberty, democracy, the rights of man and of woman, with modernity itself? Such questions are quite natural.” This is one of several such passages in Maalouf’s In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong (1998). Similar examples can be found in his Disordered World: Setting a New Course for the Twenty-first Century (2011).

 

Farah-Silvana Kanaan

Farah-Silvana Kanaan Farah-Silvana Kanaan is a Lebanese-Italian writer, photographer, developmental editor and dramaturg based between Amsterdam and Beirut. Her work has appeared in Al Jazeera English, Middle East Eye, The New Arab, Kinfolk, Discontent, Rusted Radishes, and several Dutch newspapers and magazines.... Read more

Join Our Community

TMR exists thanks to its readers and supporters. By sharing our stories and celebrating cultural pluralism, we aim to counter racism, xenophobia, and exclusion with knowledge, empathy, and artistic expression.

RELATED

Uncategorized

Blue, The Arabian Red Fox

3 OCTOBER 2025 • By Noura Ali-Ramahi
Blue, The Arabian Red Fox
Interviews

Fatima Daas on Playing the Game

3 OCTOBER 2025 • By Lara Vergnaud
Fatima Daas on Playing the Game
Fiction

War and War

26 SEPTEMBER 2025 • By Hussain A. Ayoub
War and War
Featured article

Together for Palestine — Truly Historic

19 SEPTEMBER 2025 • By TMR
Together for Palestine — Truly Historic
Book Reviews

How the Media Fails Armenia and Palestine

19 SEPTEMBER 2025 • By Gabriel Polley
How the Media Fails Armenia and Palestine
Film Reviews

New Documentaries from Palestine, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iran

12 SEPTEMBER 2025 • By Yassin El-Moudden
New Documentaries from Palestine, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iran
Editorial

Why Out of Our Minds?

5 SEPTEMBER 2025 • By Lina Mounzer
Why <em>Out of Our Minds</em>?
Centerpiece

Trauma After Gaza

5 SEPTEMBER 2025 • By Joelle Abi-Rached
Trauma After Gaza
Film

Once Upon a Time in Gaza Wants to Be an Indie Western

29 AUGUST 2025 • By Karim Goury
<em>Once Upon a Time in Gaza</em> Wants to Be an Indie Western
Art & Photography

Ali Cherri’s show at Marseille’s [mac] Is Watching You

15 AUGUST 2025 • By Naima Morelli
Ali Cherri’s show at Marseille’s [mac] Is Watching You
Uncategorized

Amal Doesn’t Even Know What a Banana Is: Child Malnutrition in Gaza

1 AUGUST 2025 • By Asem Al Jerjawi
Amal Doesn’t Even Know What a Banana Is: Child Malnutrition in Gaza
Art

Architectural Biennale Confronts Brutality of Climate Change

1 AUGUST 2025 • By Iason Athanasiadis
Architectural Biennale Confronts Brutality of Climate Change
Essays

“A Love That Endures”: How Tamer and Sabreen Defied War and Death

25 JULY 2025 • By Husam Maarouf
“A Love That Endures”: How Tamer and Sabreen Defied War and Death
Fiction

Hiding From Dragons—a short story set in Gaza

18 JULY 2025 • By Richie Billing
Hiding From Dragons—a short story set in Gaza
Featured article

“Silence is Not the Way”—Arab Writers Against Israel’s Genocide

18 JULY 2025 • By Jordan Elgrably
“Silence is Not the Way”—Arab Writers Against Israel’s Genocide
Art & Photography

Aida Šehović on the 30th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide

18 JULY 2025 • By Claudia Mende
Aida Šehović on the 30th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide
Art

Taqi Spateen Paints Palestine Museum Mural of Aaron Bushnell

11 JULY 2025 • By Hadani Ditmars
Taqi Spateen Paints Palestine Museum Mural of Aaron Bushnell
Poetry

Nasser Rabah on Poetry and Gaza

4 JULY 2025 • By Nasser Rabah
Nasser Rabah on Poetry and Gaza
Columns

Afraid for Our Children’s Future, How Do We Talk About War?

20 JUNE 2025 • By Souseh
Afraid for Our Children’s Future, How Do We Talk About War?
Film

From A World Not Ours to a Land Unknown

13 JUNE 2025 • By Jim Quilty
From A World Not Ours to a <em>Land Unknown</em>
Essays

Imagining Ghanem—My Return to Lebanon

6 JUNE 2025 • By Amelia Izmanki
Imagining Ghanem—My Return to Lebanon
Essays

Doaa: From a Dreamworld to the Ashes of Displacement

30 MAY 2025 • By Taqwa Ahmed Al-Wawi
Doaa: From a Dreamworld to the Ashes of Displacement
Book Reviews

An Intimate History of Violence: Beirut Under Siege in Nejmeh Khalil Habib’s A Spring that Did Not Blossom 

30 MAY 2025 • By Rebecca Ruth Gould
An Intimate History of Violence: Beirut Under Siege in Nejmeh Khalil Habib’s <em>A Spring that Did Not Blossom</em> 
Interviews

23 Hours Inside State Dept. Press Briefings on the Gaza Genocide

23 MAY 2025 • By Malu Halasa
23 Hours Inside State Dept. Press Briefings on the Gaza Genocide
Arabic

Jawdat Fakreddine Presents Three Poems

20 MAY 2025 • By Jawdat Fakhreddine, Huda Fakhreddine
Jawdat Fakreddine Presents Three Poems
Featured article

Arrested and Rearrested: Palestinian Women in the West Bank

16 MAY 2025 • By Lynzy Billing
Arrested and Rearrested: Palestinian Women in the West Bank
Books

Algerian-French Author Kamel Daoud on the Defensive

16 MAY 2025 • By Lara Vergnaud
Algerian-French Author Kamel Daoud on the Defensive
Beirut

Contretemps, a Bold Film on Lebanon’s Crises

16 MAY 2025 • By Jim Quilty
Contretemps, a Bold Film on Lebanon’s Crises
Books

Poet Mosab Abu Toha Wins Pulitzer Prize for Essays on Gaza

9 MAY 2025 • By Jordan Elgrably
Poet Mosab Abu Toha Wins Pulitzer Prize for Essays on Gaza
Essays

A Kashmiri in Cashmere

2 MAY 2025 • By Nafeesa Syeed
A Kashmiri in Cashmere
Art

Going Home to South Lebanon: Abdel Hamid Baalbaki

2 MAY 2025 • By Karina El Helou
Going Home to South Lebanon: Abdel Hamid Baalbaki
Essays

A Letter To My Cruel Lover: Tripoli

2 MAY 2025 • By Lara Kassem
A Letter To My Cruel Lover: Tripoli
Literature

The Pen and the Sword—Censorship Threatens Us All

2 MAY 2025 • By Anna Badkhen
The Pen and the Sword—Censorship Threatens Us All
Art

Between Belief and Doubt: Ramzi Mallat’s Suspended Disbelief

11 APRIL 2025 • By Marta Mendes
Between Belief and Doubt: Ramzi Mallat’s Suspended Disbelief
Advice

Dear Souseh: Existential Advice for Third World Problems

4 APRIL 2025 • By Souseh
Dear Souseh: Existential Advice for Third World Problems
Film

Gaza, Sudan, Israel/Palestine Documentaries Show in Thessaloniki

28 MARCH 2025 • By Iason Athanasiadis
Gaza, Sudan, Israel/Palestine Documentaries Show in Thessaloniki
Fiction

Manifesto of Love & Revolution

7 MARCH 2025 • By Iskandar Abdalla
Manifesto of Love & Revolution
Art

Afghanistan’s Histories of Conflict, Resistance & Desires

7 MARCH 2025 • By Jelena Sofronijevic
Afghanistan’s Histories of Conflict, Resistance & Desires
Art

Finding Emptiness: Gaza Artist Taysir Batniji in Beirut

21 FEBRUARY 2025 • By Jim Quilty
Finding Emptiness: Gaza Artist Taysir Batniji in Beirut
Book Reviews

Omar El Akkad & Mohammed El-Kurd: Liberalism in a Time of Genocide

14 FEBRUARY 2025 • By Rebecca Ruth Gould
Omar El Akkad & Mohammed El-Kurd: Liberalism in a Time of Genocide
Editorial

Memoir in the Age of Narcissism

7 FEBRUARY 2025 • By TMR
Memoir in the Age of Narcissism
Centerpiece

Ravaged by Fire

7 FEBRUARY 2025 • By Francisco Letelier
Ravaged by Fire
Book Reviews

Memories of Palestine through Contemporary Media

7 FEBRUARY 2025 • By Malu Halasa
Memories of Palestine through Contemporary Media
Essays

Flight Plans: From Gaza to Singapore

7 FEBRUARY 2025 • By Chin-chin Yap
Flight Plans: From Gaza to Singapore
Cuisine

“Culinary Palestine”—Fadi Kattan in an excerpt from Sumud

31 JANUARY 2025 • By Fadi Kattan
“Culinary Palestine”—Fadi Kattan in an excerpt from <em>Sumud</em>
Book Reviews

Yassini Girls—a Powerful Yet Flawed Account of Historical Trauma

31 JANUARY 2025 • By Natasha Tynes
<em>Yassini Girls</em>—a Powerful Yet Flawed Account of Historical Trauma
Arabic

Huda Fakhreddine & Yasmeen Hanoosh: Translating Arabic & Gaza

17 JANUARY 2025 • By Yasmeen Hanoosh, Huda Fakhreddine
Huda Fakhreddine & Yasmeen Hanoosh: Translating Arabic & Gaza
Uncategorized

Malu Halasa and Jordan Elgrably publish Sumūd: a New Palestinian Reader

4 JANUARY 2025 • By TMR
Malu Halasa and Jordan Elgrably publish Sumūd: a New Palestinian Reader
Book Reviews

Criticizing a Militaristic Israel is not Inherently Antisemitic

20 DECEMBER 2024 • By Stephen Rohde
Criticizing a Militaristic Israel is not Inherently Antisemitic
Poetry

Annahita Mahdavi West: Two Poems

19 DECEMBER 2024 • By Annahita Mahdavi West
Annahita Mahdavi West: Two Poems
Books

Susan Abulhawa at Oxford Union on Palestine/Israel

6 DECEMBER 2024 • By Susan Abulhawa
Susan Abulhawa at Oxford Union on Palestine/Israel
Essays

A Fragile Ceasefire as Lebanon Survives, Traumatized

29 NOVEMBER 2024 • By Tarek Abi Samra
A Fragile Ceasefire as Lebanon Survives, Traumatized
Essays

Beirut War Diary: 8 Days in October

22 NOVEMBER 2024 • By Rima Rantisi
Beirut War Diary: 8 Days in October
Essays

A Jewish Meditation on the Palestinian Genocide

15 NOVEMBER 2024 • By Sheryl Ono
A Jewish Meditation on the Palestinian Genocide
Editorial

The Editor’s Letter Following the US 2024 Presidential Election

8 NOVEMBER 2024 • By Jordan Elgrably
The Editor’s Letter Following the US 2024 Presidential Election
Beirut

The Haunting Reality of Beirut, My City

8 NOVEMBER 2024 • By Roger Assaf, Zeina Hashem Beck
The Haunting Reality of <em>Beirut, My City</em>
Beirut

Between Two Sieges: Translating Roger Assaf in California

8 NOVEMBER 2024 • By Zeina Hashem Beck
Between Two Sieges: Translating Roger Assaf in California
Art & Photography

Palestinian Artists Reflect on the Role of Art in Catastrophic Times

1 NOVEMBER 2024 • By Nina Hubinet
Palestinian Artists Reflect on the Role of Art in Catastrophic Times
Centerpiece

“Habib”—a story by Ghassan Ghassan

1 NOVEMBER 2024 • By Ghassan Ghassan
“Habib”—a story by Ghassan Ghassan
Art

Beyond Our Gaze: Rethinking Animals in Contemporary Art

1 NOVEMBER 2024 • By Naima Morelli
Beyond Our Gaze: Rethinking Animals in Contemporary Art
Memoir

“The Ballad of Lulu and Amina”—from Jerusalem to Gaza

1 NOVEMBER 2024 • By Izzeldin Bukhari
“The Ballad of Lulu and Amina”—from Jerusalem to Gaza
Opinion

Should a Climate-Destroying Dictatorship Host a Climate-Saving Conference?

25 OCTOBER 2024 • By Lucine Kasbarian
Should a Climate-Destroying Dictatorship Host a Climate-Saving Conference?
Books

November World Picks from the Editors

25 OCTOBER 2024 • By TMR
November World Picks from the Editors
Editorial

A Year of War Without End

4 OCTOBER 2024 • By Lina Mounzer
A Year of War Without End
Art

Witnessing Catastrophe: a Painter in Lebanon

4 OCTOBER 2024 • By Ziad Suidan
Witnessing Catastrophe: a Painter in Lebanon
Art

Visuals and Voices: Palestine Will Not Be a Palimpsest

4 OCTOBER 2024 • By Malu Halasa
Visuals and Voices: Palestine Will Not Be a Palimpsest
Featured article

Censorship and Cancellation Fail to Camouflage the Ugly Truth

4 OCTOBER 2024 • By Jordan Elgrably
Censorship and Cancellation Fail to Camouflage the Ugly Truth
Essays

Shamrocks & Watermelons: Palestine Politics in Belfast

4 OCTOBER 2024 • By Stuart Bailie
Shamrocks & Watermelons: Palestine Politics in Belfast
Essays

Depictions of Genocide: The Un-Imaginable Visibility of Extermination

4 OCTOBER 2024 • By Viola Shafik
Depictions of Genocide: The Un-Imaginable Visibility of Extermination
Opinion

Everything Has Changed, Nothing Has Changed

4 OCTOBER 2024 • By Amal Ghandour
Everything Has Changed, Nothing Has Changed
Fiction

The Last Millefeuille in Beirut

4 OCTOBER 2024 • By MK Harb
The Last Millefeuille in Beirut
Book Reviews

Don’t Look Left: A Diary of Genocide by Atif Abu Saif

20 SEPTEMBER 2024 • By Selma Dabbagh
<em>Don’t Look Left: A Diary of Genocide</em> by Atif Abu Saif
Books

Remembering Elias Khoury, 1948-2024

15 SEPTEMBER 2024 • By TMR
Remembering Elias Khoury, 1948-2024
Art & Photography

Featured Artists: “Barred From Home”

6 SEPTEMBER 2024 • By Malu Halasa
Featured Artists: “Barred From Home”
Book Reviews

Egypt’s Gatekeeper—President or Despot?

6 SEPTEMBER 2024 • By Elias Feroz
Egypt’s Gatekeeper—President or Despot?
Opinion

Lebanon’s Holy Gatekeepers of Free Speech

6 SEPTEMBER 2024 • By Joumana Haddad
Lebanon’s Holy Gatekeepers of Free Speech
Fiction

“Fragments from a Gaza Nightmare”—fiction from Sama Hassan

30 AUGUST 2024 • By Sama Hassan, Rana Asfour
“Fragments from a Gaza Nightmare”—fiction from Sama Hassan
Essays

Beyond Rubble—Cultural Heritage and Healing After Disaster

23 AUGUST 2024 • By Arie Amaya-Akkermans
Beyond Rubble—Cultural Heritage and Healing After Disaster
Essays

Meditations on Palestinian Exile and Return

16 AUGUST 2024 • By Dana El Saleh
Meditations on Palestinian Exile and Return
Book Reviews

Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew by Avi Shlaim—a Review

19 JULY 2024 • By Selma Dabbagh
<em>Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew</em> by Avi Shlaim—a Review
Fiction

“Deferred Sorrow”—fiction from Haidar Al Ghazali

5 JULY 2024 • By Haidar Al Ghazali, Rana Asfour
“Deferred Sorrow”—fiction from Haidar Al Ghazali
Beirut

Ripped from Memoirs of a Lebanese Policeman

5 JULY 2024 • By Fawzi Zabyan
Ripped from <em>Memoirs of a Lebanese Policeman</em>
Columns

Creating Community with Community Theatre

21 JUNE 2024 • By Victoria Lupton
Creating Community with Community Theatre
Book Reviews

Is Amin Maalouf’s Latest Novel, On the Isle of Antioch, a Parody?

14 JUNE 2024 • By Farah-Silvana Kanaan
Is Amin Maalouf’s Latest Novel, <em>On the Isle of Antioch</em>, a Parody?
Essays

How to Write About Kurdistan

14 JUNE 2024 • By Matthew Broomfield
How to Write About Kurdistan
Centerpiece

Dare Not Speak—a One-Act Play

7 JUNE 2024 • By Hassan Abdulrazzak
<em>Dare Not Speak</em>—a One-Act Play
Essays

Wajdi Mouawad’s “Controversial” Wedding Day

7 JUNE 2024 • By Elie Chalala
Wajdi Mouawad’s “Controversial” <em>Wedding Day</em>
Theatre

What Kind Of Liar Am I?—a Short Play

7 JUNE 2024 • By Mona Mansour
<em>What Kind Of Liar Am I?</em>—a Short Play
Essays

Omar Naim Exclusive: Two Films on Beirut & Theatre

7 JUNE 2024 • By Omar Naim
Omar Naim Exclusive: Two Films on Beirut & Theatre
Books

Palestine, Political Theatre & the Performance of Queer Solidarity in Jean Genet’s Prisoner of Love

7 JUNE 2024 • By Saleem Haddad
Palestine, Political Theatre & the Performance of Queer Solidarity in Jean Genet’s <em>Prisoner of Love</em>
Essays

What Is Home?—Gazans Redefine Place Amid Displacement

31 MAY 2024 • By Nadine Aranki
What Is Home?—Gazans Redefine Place Amid Displacement
Essays

Postscript: Disrupting the Colonial Gaze—Gaza and Israel after October 7th

17 MAY 2024 • By Sara Roy, Ivar Ekeland
Postscript: Disrupting the Colonial Gaze—Gaza and Israel after October 7th
Art

This Year in Venice, it’s the “Palestine Biennale”

10 MAY 2024 • By Hadani Ditmars
This Year in Venice, it’s the “Palestine Biennale”
Centerpiece

Memory Archive: Between Remembering and Forgetting

3 MAY 2024 • By Mai Al-Nakib
Memory Archive: Between Remembering and Forgetting
Essays

The Elephant in the Box

3 MAY 2024 • By Asmaa Elgamal
The Elephant in the Box
Fiction

“I, Mariam”—a story by Joumana Haddad

26 APRIL 2024 • By Joumana Haddad
“I, Mariam”—a story by Joumana Haddad
Art

Malak Mattar: No Words, Only Scenes of Ruin

26 APRIL 2024 • By Nadine Nour el Din
Malak Mattar: No Words, Only Scenes of Ruin
Opinion

Equating Critique of Israel with Antisemitism, US Academics are Being Silenced

12 APRIL 2024 • By Maura Finkelstein
Equating Critique of Israel with Antisemitism, US Academics are Being Silenced
Art

Paris, Abstraction and the Art of Yvette Achkar

1 APRIL 2024 • By Arie Amaya-Akkermans
Paris, Abstraction and the Art of Yvette Achkar
Essays

The Arab Writer in Paris; Paris in the Arab Writer

31 MARCH 2024 • By Coline Houssais, Lina Mounzer
The Arab Writer in Paris; Paris in the Arab Writer
Art & Photography

Will Artists Against Genocide Boycott the Venice Biennale?

18 MARCH 2024 • By Hadani Ditmars
Will Artists Against Genocide Boycott the Venice Biennale?
Editorial

Why “Burn It all Down”?

3 MARCH 2024 • By Lina Mounzer
Why “Burn It all Down”?
Essays

The Time of Monsters

3 MARCH 2024 • By Layla AlAmmar
The Time of Monsters
Fiction

“The Map of a Genocide Victim”—fiction from Faris Lounis

3 MARCH 2024 • By Faris Lounis, Jordan Elgrably
“The Map of a Genocide Victim”—fiction from Faris Lounis
Essays

Israel’s Environmental and Economic Warfare on Lebanon

3 MARCH 2024 • By Michelle Eid
Israel’s Environmental and Economic Warfare on Lebanon
Columns

Genocide: “That bell can’t be unrung. That thought can’t be unthunk.”

3 MARCH 2024 • By Amal Ghandour
Genocide: “That bell can’t be unrung. That thought can’t be unthunk.”
Essays

Messages from Gaza Now / 5

26 FEBRUARY 2024 • By Hossam Madhoun
Messages from Gaza Now / 5
Art

Issam Kourbaj’s Love Letter to Syria in Cambridge

12 FEBRUARY 2024 • By Sophie Kazan Makhlouf
Issam Kourbaj’s Love Letter to Syria in Cambridge
Poetry

“WE” and “4978 and One Nights” by Ghayath Almadhoun

4 FEBRUARY 2024 • By Ghayath Al Madhoun
“WE” and “4978 and One Nights” by Ghayath Almadhoun
Editorial

Shoot That Poison Arrow to My Heart: The LSD Editorial

4 FEBRUARY 2024 • By Malu Halasa
Shoot That Poison Arrow to My Heart: The LSD Editorial
Featured article

Israel-Palestine: Peace Under Occupation?

29 JANUARY 2024 • By Laëtitia Soula
Israel-Palestine: Peace Under Occupation?
Books

Illuminated Reading for 2024: Our Anticipated Titles

22 JANUARY 2024 • By TMR
Illuminated Reading for 2024: Our Anticipated Titles
Poetry

Brian Turner: 3 Poems From Three New Books

14 JANUARY 2024 • By Brian Turner
Brian Turner: 3 Poems From Three New Books
Art

Palestinian Artists

12 JANUARY 2024 • By TMR
Palestinian Artists
Essays

Messages from Gaza Now / 3

8 JANUARY 2024 • By Hossam Madhoun
Messages from Gaza Now / 3
Art & Photography

Cyprus: Return to Petrofani with Ali Cherri & Vicky Pericleous

8 JANUARY 2024 • By Arie Amaya-Akkermans
Cyprus: Return to Petrofani with Ali Cherri & Vicky Pericleous
Essays

Gaza Sunbirds: the Palestinian Para-Cyclists Who Won’t Quit

25 DECEMBER 2023 • By Malu Halasa
Gaza Sunbirds: the Palestinian Para-Cyclists Who Won’t Quit
Books

Inside Hamas: From Resistance to Regime

25 DECEMBER 2023 • By Paola Caridi
Inside <em>Hamas: From Resistance to Regime</em>
Columns

Messages From Gaza Now

11 DECEMBER 2023 • By Hossam Madhoun
Messages From Gaza Now
Featured excerpt

The Palestine Laboratory and Gaza: An Excerpt

4 DECEMBER 2023 • By Antony Loewenstein
<em>The Palestine Laboratory</em> and Gaza: An Excerpt
Editorial

Why Endings & Beginnings?

3 DECEMBER 2023 • By Jordan Elgrably
Why Endings & Beginnings?
Beirut

“The Summer They Heard Music”—a short story by MK Harb

3 DECEMBER 2023 • By MK Harb
“The Summer They Heard Music”—a short story by MK Harb
Fiction

“I, Hanan”—a Gazan tale of survival by Joumana Haddad

3 DECEMBER 2023 • By Joumana Haddad
“I, Hanan”—a Gazan tale of survival by Joumana Haddad
Art

Hanan Eshaq

3 DECEMBER 2023 • By Hanan Eshaq
Hanan Eshaq
Opinion

Gaza vs. Mosul from a Medical and Humanitarian Standpoint

27 NOVEMBER 2023 • By Ahmed Twaij
Gaza vs. Mosul from a Medical and Humanitarian Standpoint
Art & Photography

Palestinian Artists & Anti-War Supporters of Gaza Cancelled

27 NOVEMBER 2023 • By Nada Ghosn
Palestinian Artists & Anti-War Supporters of Gaza Cancelled
Opinion

What’s in a Ceasefire?

20 NOVEMBER 2023 • By Adrian Kreutz, Enzo Rossi, Lillian Robb
What’s in a Ceasefire?
Art & Photography

War and Art: A Lebanese Photographer and His Protégés

13 NOVEMBER 2023 • By Nicole Hamouche
War and Art: A Lebanese Photographer and His Protégés
Opinion

Beautiful October 7th Art Belies the Horrors of War

13 NOVEMBER 2023 • By Mark LeVine
Beautiful October 7th Art Belies the Horrors of War
Opinion

Palestine’s Pen against Israel’s Swords of Injustice

6 NOVEMBER 2023 • By Mai Al-Nakib
Palestine’s Pen against Israel’s Swords of Injustice
Books

Domicide—War on the City

5 NOVEMBER 2023 • By Ammar Azzouz
<em>Domicide</em>—War on the City
Art

Mohamed Al Mufti, Architect and Painter of Our Time

5 NOVEMBER 2023 • By Nicole Hamouche
Mohamed Al Mufti, Architect and Painter of Our Time
Essays

On Fathers, Daughters and the Genocide in Gaza 

30 OCTOBER 2023 • By Deema K Shehabi
On Fathers, Daughters and the Genocide in Gaza 
Book Reviews

The Refugee Ocean—An Intriguing Premise

30 OCTOBER 2023 • By Natasha Tynes
<em>The Refugee Ocean</em>—An Intriguing Premise
Islam

October 7 and the First Days of the War

23 OCTOBER 2023 • By Robin Yassin-Kassab
October 7 and the First Days of the War
Editorial

Palestine and the Unspeakable

16 OCTOBER 2023 • By Lina Mounzer
Palestine and the Unspeakable
Art

The Ongoing Nakba—Rasha Al-Jundi’s Embroidery Series

16 OCTOBER 2023 • By Rasha Al Jundi
The Ongoing Nakba—Rasha Al-Jundi’s Embroidery Series
Essays

Forging Peace for Artsakh—The Debacle of Nagorno Karabagh

16 OCTOBER 2023 • By Seta Kabranian-Melkonian
Forging Peace for Artsakh—The Debacle of Nagorno Karabagh
Fiction

I, SOUAD or the Six Deaths of a Refugee From Aleppo

9 OCTOBER 2023 • By Joumana Haddad
I, SOUAD or the Six Deaths of a Refugee From Aleppo
Theatre

Hartaqât: Heresies of a World with Policed Borders

9 OCTOBER 2023 • By Nada Ghosn
<em>Hartaqât</em>: Heresies of a World with Policed Borders
Theatre

Lebanese Thespian Aida Sabra Blossoms in International Career

9 OCTOBER 2023 • By Nada Ghosn
Lebanese Thespian Aida Sabra Blossoms in International Career
Fiction

“Kaleidoscope: In Pursuit of the Real in a Virtual World”—fiction from Dina Abou Salem

1 OCTOBER 2023 • By Dina Abou Salem
“Kaleidoscope: In Pursuit of the Real in a Virtual World”—fiction from Dina Abou Salem
Art & Photography

Adel Abidin, October 2023

1 OCTOBER 2023 • By TMR
Adel Abidin, October 2023
Amazigh

World Picks: Festival Arabesques in Montpellier

4 SEPTEMBER 2023 • By TMR
World Picks: Festival Arabesques in Montpellier
Books

“Sadness in My Heart”—a story by Hilal Chouman

3 SEPTEMBER 2023 • By Hilal Chouman, Nashwa Nasreldin
“Sadness in My Heart”—a story by Hilal Chouman
Book Reviews

Laila Halaby’s The Weight of Ghosts is a Haunting Memoir

28 AUGUST 2023 • By Thérèse Soukar Chehade
Laila Halaby’s <em>The Weight of Ghosts</em> is a Haunting Memoir
Book Reviews

What’s the Solution for Jews and Palestine in the Face of Apartheid Zionism?

21 AUGUST 2023 • By Jonathan Ofir
What’s the Solution for Jews and Palestine in the Face of Apartheid Zionism?
Opinion

The Middle East is Once Again West Asia

14 AUGUST 2023 • By Chas Freeman, Jr.
The Middle East is Once Again West Asia
Film

The Soil and the Sea: The Revolutionary Act of Remembering

7 AUGUST 2023 • By Farah-Silvana Kanaan
<em>The Soil and the Sea</em>: The Revolutionary Act of Remembering
Poetry

Three Poems from Pantea Amin Tofangchi’s Glazed With War

3 AUGUST 2023 • By Pantea Amin Tofangchi
Three Poems from Pantea Amin Tofangchi’s <em>Glazed With War</em>
Art

What Palestine Brings to the World—a Major Paris Exhibition

31 JULY 2023 • By Sasha Moujaes
<em>What Palestine Brings to the World</em>—a Major Paris Exhibition
Book Reviews

Can the Kurdish Women’s Movement Transform the Middle East?

31 JULY 2023 • By Matthew Broomfield
Can the Kurdish Women’s Movement Transform the Middle East?
Book Reviews

Why Isn’t Ghaith Abdul-Ahad a Household Name?

10 JULY 2023 • By Iason Athanasiadis
Why Isn’t Ghaith Abdul-Ahad a Household Name?
Opinion

The End of the Palestinian State? Jenin Is Only the Beginning

10 JULY 2023 • By Yousef M. Aljamal
The End of the Palestinian State? Jenin Is Only the Beginning
Editorial

Stories From The Markaz, Stories From the Center

2 JULY 2023 • By Malu Halasa
Stories From The Markaz, Stories From the Center
Arabic

Inside the Giant Fish—excerpt from Rawand Issa’s graphic novel

2 JULY 2023 • By Rawand Issa, Amy Chiniara
Inside the Giant Fish—excerpt from Rawand Issa’s graphic novel
Fiction

Naar, Are You illuminated?

2 JULY 2023 • By Bint Magdaliyya
Naar, Are You illuminated?
Columns

The Rite of Flooding: When the Land Speaks

19 JUNE 2023 • By Bint Mbareh
The Rite of Flooding: When the Land Speaks
Editorial

EARTH: Our Only Home

4 JUNE 2023 • By Jordan Elgrably
EARTH: Our Only Home
Arabic

Arab Theatre Grapples With Climate Change, Borders, War & Love

4 JUNE 2023 • By Hassan Abdulrazzak
Arab Theatre Grapples With Climate Change, Borders, War & Love
Beirut

The Saga of Mounia Akl’s Costa Brava, Lebanon

1 MAY 2023 • By Meera Santhanam
The Saga of Mounia Akl’s <em>Costa Brava, Lebanon</em>
Opinion

Nurredin Amro’s Epic Battle to Save His Home From Demolition

24 APRIL 2023 • By Nora Lester Murad
Nurredin Amro’s Epic Battle to Save His Home From Demolition
Essays

When a Country is not a Country—the Chimera of Borders

17 APRIL 2023 • By Ara Oshagan
When a Country is not a Country—the Chimera of Borders
Essays

Artsakh and the Truth About the Legend of Monte Melkonian

17 APRIL 2023 • By Seta Kabranian-Melkonian
Artsakh and the Truth About the Legend of Monte Melkonian
Film Reviews

Yallah Gaza! Presents the Case for Gazan Humanity

10 APRIL 2023 • By Karim Goury
<em>Yallah Gaza!</em> Presents the Case for Gazan Humanity
Beirut

Tel Aviv-Beirut, a Film on War, Love & Borders

20 MARCH 2023 • By Karim Goury
<em>Tel Aviv-Beirut</em>, a Film on War, Love & Borders
Beirut

Interview with Michale Boganim, Director of Tel Aviv-Beirut

20 MARCH 2023 • By Karim Goury
Interview with Michale Boganim, Director of <em>Tel Aviv-Beirut</em>
Fiction

“Counter Strike”—a story by MK HARB

5 MARCH 2023 • By MK Harb
“Counter Strike”—a story by MK HARB
Fiction

“Mother Remembered”—Fiction by Samir El-Youssef

5 MARCH 2023 • By Samir El-Youssef
“Mother Remembered”—Fiction by Samir El-Youssef
Essays

Home Under Siege: a Palestine Photo Essay

5 MARCH 2023 • By Anam Raheem
Home Under Siege: a Palestine Photo Essay
Book Reviews

Yemen War Survivors Speak in What Have You Left Behind?

20 FEBRUARY 2023 • By Saliha Haddad
Yemen War Survivors Speak in <em>What Have You Left Behind?</em>
Beirut

The Curious Case of Middle Lebanon

13 FEBRUARY 2023 • By Amal Ghandour
The Curious Case of Middle Lebanon
Beirut

Arab Women’s War Stories, Oral Histories from Lebanon

13 FEBRUARY 2023 • By Evelyne Accad
Arab Women’s War Stories, Oral Histories from Lebanon
TV Review

Palestinian Territories Under Siege But Season 4 of Fauda Goes to Brussels and Beirut Instead

6 FEBRUARY 2023 • By Brett Kline
Palestinian Territories Under Siege But Season 4 of <em>Fauda</em> Goes to Brussels and Beirut Instead
Art

The Creative Resistance in Palestinian Art

26 DECEMBER 2022 • By Malu Halasa
The Creative Resistance in Palestinian Art
Book Reviews

Mohamed Makhzangi Despairs at Man’s Cruelty to Animals

26 DECEMBER 2022 • By Saliha Haddad
Mohamed Makhzangi Despairs at Man’s Cruelty to Animals
Art

Museums in Exile—MO.CO’s show for Chile, Sarajevo & Palestine

12 DECEMBER 2022 • By Jordan Elgrably
Museums in Exile—MO.CO’s show for Chile, Sarajevo & Palestine
Book Reviews

Fida Jiryis on Palestine in Stranger in My Own Land

28 NOVEMBER 2022 • By Diana Buttu
Fida Jiryis on Palestine in <em>Stranger in My Own Land</em>
Columns

Sudden Journeys: Israel’s Intimate Separations—Part 2

31 OCTOBER 2022 • By Jenine Abboushi
Sudden Journeys: Israel’s Intimate Separations—Part 2
Columns

For Electronica Artist Hadi Zeidan, Dance Clubs are Analogous to Churches

24 OCTOBER 2022 • By Melissa Chemam
For Electronica Artist Hadi Zeidan, Dance Clubs are Analogous to Churches
Poetry

We Say Salt from To Speak in Salt

15 OCTOBER 2022 • By Becky Thompson
We Say Salt from <em>To Speak in Salt</em>
Editorial

You Don’t Have to Be A Super Hero to Be a Heroine

15 OCTOBER 2022 • By TMR
You Don’t Have to Be A Super Hero to Be a Heroine
Fiction

“Ride On, Shooting Star”—fiction from May Haddad

15 OCTOBER 2022 • By May Haddad
“Ride On, Shooting Star”—fiction from May Haddad
Film

Ziad Kalthoum: Trajectory of a Syrian Filmmaker

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Viola Shafik
Ziad Kalthoum: Trajectory of a Syrian Filmmaker
Film

The Mystery of Tycoon Michel Baida in Old Arab Berlin

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Irit Neidhardt
The Mystery of Tycoon Michel Baida in Old Arab Berlin
Art & Photography

16 Formidable Lebanese Photographers in an Abbey

5 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Nada Ghosn
16 Formidable Lebanese Photographers in an Abbey
Music Reviews

Hot Summer Playlist: “Diaspora Dreams” Drops

8 AUGUST 2022 • By Mischa Geracoulis
Hot Summer Playlist: “Diaspora Dreams” Drops
Art

Abundant Middle Eastern Talent at the ’22 Avignon Theatre Fest

18 JULY 2022 • By Nada Ghosn
Abundant Middle Eastern Talent at the ’22 Avignon Theatre Fest
Editorial

Editorial: Is the World Driving Us Mad?

15 JULY 2022 • By TMR
Editorial: Is the World Driving Us Mad?
Film Reviews

War and Trauma in Yemen: Asim Abdulaziz’s “1941”

15 JULY 2022 • By Farah Abdessamad
War and Trauma in Yemen: Asim Abdulaziz’s “1941”
Book Reviews

Leaving One’s Country in Mai Al-Nakib’s “An Unlasting Home”

27 JUNE 2022 • By Rana Asfour
Leaving One’s Country in Mai Al-Nakib’s “An Unlasting Home”
Columns

Why I left Lebanon and Became a Transitional Citizen

27 JUNE 2022 • By Myriam Dalal
Why I left Lebanon and Became a Transitional Citizen
Book Reviews

A Poet and Librarian Catalogs Life in Gaza

20 JUNE 2022 • By Eman Quotah
A Poet and Librarian Catalogs Life in Gaza
Art & Photography

Featured Artist: Steve Sabella, Beyond Palestine

15 JUNE 2022 • By TMR
Featured Artist: Steve Sabella, Beyond Palestine
Featured excerpt

Joumana Haddad: “Victim #232”

15 JUNE 2022 • By Joumana Haddad, Rana Asfour
Joumana Haddad: “Victim #232”
Art & Photography

Steve Sabella: Excerpts from “The Parachute Paradox”

15 JUNE 2022 • By Steve Sabella
Steve Sabella: Excerpts from “The Parachute Paradox”
Opinion

Israel and Palestine: Focus on the Problem, Not the Solution

30 MAY 2022 • By Mark Habeeb
Israel and Palestine: Focus on the Problem, Not the Solution
Book Reviews

Fragmented Love in Alison Glick’s “The Other End of the Sea”

16 MAY 2022 • By Nora Lester Murad
Fragmented Love in Alison Glick’s “The Other End of the Sea”
Essays

We, Palestinian Israelis

15 MAY 2022 • By Jenine Abboushi
We, Palestinian Israelis
Book Reviews

In East Jerusalem, Palestinian Youth Struggle for Freedom

15 MAY 2022 • By Mischa Geracoulis
Film

Art Film Depicts the Landlocked Drama of Nagorno-Karabakh

2 MAY 2022 • By Taline Voskeritchian
Art Film Depicts the Landlocked Drama of Nagorno-Karabakh
Beirut

Fairouz is the Voice of Lebanon, Symbol of Hope in a Weary Land

25 APRIL 2022 • By Melissa Chemam
Fairouz is the Voice of Lebanon, Symbol of Hope in a Weary Land
Latest Reviews

Food in Palestine: Five Videos From Nasser Atta

15 APRIL 2022 • By Nasser Atta
Food in Palestine: Five Videos From Nasser Atta
Opinion

U.S. Sanctions Russia for its Invasion of Ukraine; Now Sanction Israel for its Occupation of Palestine

21 MARCH 2022 • By Yossi Khen, Jeff Warner
U.S. Sanctions Russia for its Invasion of Ukraine; Now Sanction Israel for its Occupation of Palestine
Columns

Nowruz and The Sins of the New Day

21 MARCH 2022 • By Maha Tourbah
Nowruz and The Sins of the New Day
Columns

Music in the Middle East: Bring Back Peace

21 MARCH 2022 • By Melissa Chemam
Music in the Middle East: Bring Back Peace
Essays

Mariupol, Ukraine and the Crime of Hospital Bombing

17 MARCH 2022 • By Neve Gordon, Nicola Perugini
Mariupol, Ukraine and the Crime of Hospital Bombing
Essays

“Gluttony” from Abbas Beydoun’s “Frankenstein’s Mirrors”

15 MARCH 2022 • By Abbas Baydoun, Lily Sadowsky
“Gluttony” from Abbas Beydoun’s “Frankenstein’s Mirrors”
Art

Fiction: “Skin Calluses” by Khalil Younes

15 MARCH 2022 • By Khalil Younes
Fiction: “Skin Calluses” by Khalil Younes
Columns

“There’s Nothing Worse Than War”

24 FEBRUARY 2022 • By Jordan Elgrably
“There’s Nothing Worse Than War”
Fiction

Fiction from “Free Fall”: I fled the city as a murderer whose crime had just been uncovered

15 JANUARY 2022 • By Abeer Esber, Nouha Homad
Fiction from “Free Fall”: I fled the city as a murderer whose crime had just been uncovered
Book Reviews

Temptations of the Imagination: how Jana Elhassan and Samar Yazbek transmogrify the world

10 JANUARY 2022 • By Rana Asfour
Temptations of the Imagination: how Jana Elhassan and Samar Yazbek transmogrify the world
Columns

My Lebanese Landlord, Lebanese Bankdits, and German Racism

15 DECEMBER 2021 • By Tariq Mehmood
My Lebanese Landlord, Lebanese Bankdits, and German Racism
Fiction

Three Levantine Tales

15 DECEMBER 2021 • By Nouha Homad
Three Levantine Tales
Comix

How to Hide in Lebanon as a Western Foreigner

15 DECEMBER 2021 • By Nadiyah Abdullatif, Anam Zafar
How to Hide in Lebanon as a Western Foreigner
Art

Etel Adnan’s Sun and Sea: In Remembrance

19 NOVEMBER 2021 • By Arie Amaya-Akkermans
Etel Adnan’s Sun and Sea: In Remembrance
Columns

Burning Forests, Burning Nations

15 NOVEMBER 2021 • By Hadani Ditmars
Burning Forests, Burning Nations
Book Reviews

Diary of the Collapse—Charif Majdalani on Lebanon’s Trials by Fire

15 NOVEMBER 2021 • By A.J. Naddaff
<em>Diary of the Collapse</em>—Charif Majdalani on Lebanon’s Trials by Fire
Book Reviews

The Vanishing: Are Arab Christians an Endangered Minority?

15 NOVEMBER 2021 • By Hadani Ditmars
The Vanishing: Are Arab Christians an Endangered Minority?
Featured excerpt

Memoirs of a Militant, My Years in the Khiam Women’s Prison

15 OCTOBER 2021 • By Nawal Qasim Baidoun
Memoirs of a Militant, My Years in the Khiam Women’s Prison
Film Reviews

Will Love Triumph in the Midst of Gaza’s 14-Year Siege?

11 OCTOBER 2021 • By Jordan Elgrably
Will Love Triumph in the Midst of Gaza’s 14-Year Siege?
Columns

20 Years Ago This Month, 9/11 at Souk Ukaz

15 SEPTEMBER 2021 • By Hadani Ditmars
20 Years Ago This Month, 9/11 at Souk Ukaz
Editorial

Why COMIX? An Emerging Medium of Writing the Middle East and North Africa

15 AUGUST 2021 • By Aomar Boum
Why COMIX? An Emerging Medium of Writing the Middle East and North Africa
Latest Reviews

Rebellion Resurrected: The Will of Youth Against History

15 AUGUST 2021 • By George Jad Khoury
Rebellion Resurrected: The Will of Youth Against History
Latest Reviews

Women Comic Artists, from Afghanistan to Morocco

15 AUGUST 2021 • By Sherine Hamdy
Women Comic Artists, from Afghanistan to Morocco
Weekly

World Picks: August 2021

12 AUGUST 2021 • By Lawrence Joffe
World Picks: August 2021
Columns

Remember 18:07 and Light a Flame for Beirut

4 AUGUST 2021 • By Jordan Elgrably
Remember 18:07 and Light a Flame for Beirut
Columns

In Flawed Democracies, White Supremacy and Ethnocentrism Flourish

1 AUGUST 2021 • By Mya Guarnieri Jaradat
In Flawed Democracies, White Supremacy and Ethnocentrism Flourish
Weekly

Heba Hayek’s Gaza Memories

1 AUGUST 2021 • By Shereen Malherbe
Heba Hayek’s Gaza Memories
Memoir

“Guns and Figs” from Heba Hayek’s new Gaza book

1 AUGUST 2021 • By Heba Hayek
“Guns and Figs” from Heba Hayek’s new Gaza book
Weekly

Wafa Shami’s Palestinian Mulukhiyah

25 JULY 2021 • By Wafa Shami
Wafa Shami’s Palestinian Mulukhiyah
Weekly

Fadi Kattan’s Fatteh Ghazawiya الفتة الغزاوية

25 JULY 2021 • By Fadi Kattan
Fadi Kattan’s Fatteh Ghazawiya الفتة الغزاوية
Columns

When War is Just Another Name for Murder

15 JULY 2021 • By Norman G. Finkelstein
When War is Just Another Name for Murder
Fiction

Gazan Skies, from the novel “Out of It”

14 JULY 2021 • By Selma Dabbagh
Gazan Skies, from the novel “Out of It”
Art

Malak Mattar — Gaza Artist and Survivor

14 JULY 2021 • By Jordan Elgrably
Malak Mattar — Gaza Artist and Survivor
Essays

The Gaza Mythologies

14 JULY 2021 • By Ilan Pappé
The Gaza Mythologies
Columns

The Semantics of Gaza, War and Truth

14 JULY 2021 • By Mischa Geracoulis
The Semantics of Gaza, War and Truth
Latest Reviews

No Exit

14 JULY 2021 • By Allam Zedan
No Exit
Essays

Gaza, You and Me

14 JULY 2021 • By Abdallah Salha
Gaza, You and Me
Columns

Gaza’s Catch-22s

14 JULY 2021 • By Khaled Diab
Gaza’s Catch-22s
Essays

Making a Film in Gaza

14 JULY 2021 • By Elana Golden
Making a Film in Gaza
Essays

Gaza IS Palestine

14 JULY 2021 • By Jenine Abboushi
Gaza IS Palestine
Latest Reviews

A Response to “Gaza: Mowing the Lawn” 2014-15

14 JULY 2021 • By Tony Litwinko
A Response to “Gaza: Mowing the Lawn” 2014-15
Centerpiece

“Gaza: Mowing the Lawn” by Artist Jaime Scholnick

14 JULY 2021 • By Sagi Refael
“Gaza: Mowing the Lawn” by Artist Jaime Scholnick
Essays

Sailing to Gaza to Break the Siege

14 JULY 2021 • By Greta Berlin
Sailing to Gaza to Break the Siege
Book Reviews

ISIS and the Absurdity of War in the Age of Twitter

4 JULY 2021 • By Jessica Proett
ISIS and the Absurdity of War in the Age of Twitter
Weekly

A New Book on Music, Palestine-Israel & the “Three State Solution”

28 JUNE 2021 • By Mark LeVine
A New Book on Music, Palestine-Israel & the “Three State Solution”
Weekly

War Diary: The End of Innocence

23 MAY 2021 • By Arie Amaya-Akkermans
War Diary: The End of Innocence
Art

The Murals of Yemen’s Haifa Subay

14 MAY 2021 • By Farah Abdessamad
The Murals of Yemen’s Haifa Subay
Essays

Reviving Hammam Al Jadeed

14 MAY 2021 • By Tom Young
Reviving Hammam Al Jadeed
Art

The Labyrinth of Memory

14 MAY 2021 • By Ziad Suidan
The Labyrinth of Memory
Poetry

A visual poem from Hala Alyan: Gaza

14 MARCH 2021 • By TMR
A visual poem from Hala Alyan: Gaza
Weekly

Hanane Hajj Ali, Portrait of a Theatrical Trailblazer

14 FEBRUARY 2021 • By Nada Ghosn
Hanane Hajj Ali, Portrait of a Theatrical Trailblazer
TMR 6 • Revolutions

Ten Years of Hope and Blood

14 FEBRUARY 2021 • By Robert Solé
Ten Years of Hope and Blood
Film Reviews

Muhammad Malas, Syria’s Auteur, is the subject of a Film Biography

10 JANUARY 2021 • By Rana Asfour
Muhammad Malas, Syria’s Auteur, is the subject of a Film Biography
TMR 4 • Small & Indie Presses

Children of the Ghetto, My Name Is Adam

14 DECEMBER 2020 • By Elias Khoury
Children of the Ghetto, My Name Is Adam
TMR 3 • Racism & Identity

I am the Hyphen

15 NOVEMBER 2020 • By Sarah AlKahly-Mills
I am the Hyphen
Beirut

An Outsider’s Long Goodbye

15 SEPTEMBER 2020 • By Annia Ciezadlo
An Outsider’s Long Goodbye
Beirut

Wajdi Mouawad, Just the Playwright for Our Dystopian World

15 SEPTEMBER 2020 • By Melissa Chemam
Wajdi Mouawad, Just the Playwright for Our Dystopian World
Beirut

Beirut In Pieces

15 SEPTEMBER 2020 • By Jenine Abboushi
Beirut In Pieces
Beirut

Salvaging the shipwreck of humanity in Amin Maalouf’s Adrift

15 SEPTEMBER 2020 • By Sarah AlKahly-Mills
Salvaging the shipwreck of humanity in Amin Maalouf’s <em>Adrift</em>

2 thoughts on “Is Amin Maalouf’s Latest Novel, <em>On the Isle of Antioch</em>, a Parody?”

  1. Anne Geffner

    I agree with the book review of Antioch but part may reflect the reality of our tomorrow. Except there will be no one to save us . I haven’t finished the book yet so I don’t know the ending. The book club discussion should be interesting.

  2. Pingback: Winding Up the Week #381 – Book Jotter

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

three × 4 =

Scroll to Top