The Watermelon Boys on Iraq, War, Colonization and Familial Love
Rachel Campbell finds that Ruqaya Izzidien’s debut novel set in Iraq provides counter-narratives to the country’s early 20th-century history.
Letters From Tehran: Braving Tehran’s Roundabout, Maidan Valiasr
A journalist in Tehran walks defiantly without covering her hair through one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares.
Bedazzled: Iran’s Rebel Feminists at London’s Curve Gallery
Malu Halasa tours the exuberant exhibition from artist Soheila Sokhanvari that celebrates strong Iranian women.
Letters From Tehran: The Girl of Revolution Avenue
In our Letters From Tehran series, Iranians write intimately about daily life in the city following last fall’s Women-Life-Freedom protests.
The End of Innocence in Panah Panahi’s Hit the Road?
Bavand Karim finds that’s Panah Panahi’s feature is a prodigal debut from Iranian cinema’s latest auteur and son of Jafar Panahi.
Editor’s Picks: Magical Realism in Iranian Lit
Rana Asfour has selected four contemporary novels of Iranian literature for this special issue on Iran in TMR Weekly.
Berlin-Based Palestinian Returns to Arabic in new Amrat Album
Music writer Melissa Chemam interviews Rasha Nahas on her new Arabic-language album, “Amrat.”
Sabyl Ghoussoub Heads for Beirut in Search of Himself
Adil Bouhelal reviews the new novel from the author of “Le Nez Juif” with its exploration of Lebanon from 1975 forward.
On Lebanon and Lamia Joreige’s “Uncertain Times”
Arie Amaya-Akkermans reflects on Lamia Joreige’s “Uncertain Times,” which represents the Lebanese wars and their aftermath.
Benjemy : The unclassifiable Tunisian DJ
In which Sarah Ben Hamadi meets a key figure of Tunisia’s cultural underground.
End of an Era: Al Saqi Bookshop in London Closes
Malu Halasa surveys the legacy of Al Saqi while also lamenting the end of Banipal Magazine and the retirement of the British Museum’s Venetia Porter.
The Story of Youssef Salem, Nominated for the Goncourt
Laëtitia Soula reviews the acidic new comedy from Baya Kasmi, which plays on the Rothian theme of intimate family confessions.