Phoneless in Filthy Berlin

Street art in Berlin (photo courtesy Notes From Camelid Country).

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Maisan Hamdan, Rana Asfour
Street art in Berlin (photo courtesy Notes From Camelid Country).

 

A single Palestinian woman attempts to survive in Berlin without a cell phone.

 

Maisan Hamdan

 

I love Berlin. It is a filthy, compassionless city that is deferential to neither its long-time inhabitants nor interim visitors; to her all are transient. I’ve always known, ever since my first visit in 2016, that I would return to her time and time again.

Only a year after that initial visit, I was back. My sojourn carried the whiffs of a homecoming laced as it was with the tentative aspirations of settling down. I had traveled from Haifa, where I’d lived estranged in my Palestinian city that only revealed itself incrementally, and even then momentarily, to project an ephemeral Palestine; one relegated to dark corners and narrow alleyways. And here I was, in Berlin, this refreshing place where everything and everyone appeared to be shrouded in foreignness, all of us drifters, where I was never required to answer questions about who I was or what I was doing. A place where the truth of my beliefs was never forsaken.

One day, as I sat in the Turkish market, located in Karl Marx Platz, a pigeon shamelessly defecated on me, its droppings splattering on different parts of my body. I immediately remembered that where I came from this was usually looked upon as a good sign, but since I was now in Berlin, I wondered whether such notions would still hold true. I cannot begin to compare the disproportionate number of times I’ve been shat on by these pesky creatures to the dismal number of times I’ve lucked out after each incident. However,  in that moment, possibly perversely buoyed by the heat from the warm shit seeping through my trouser leg onto my skin, I felt surprisingly hopeful that good luck might just be lurking around the corner. Perhaps, I reasoned, luck, like pigeon droppings, struck randomly so that for all the times that I missed it, it could still find me nonetheless.

But, I also couldn’t forget that for every fanciful lucky notion was an opposing harbinger for troubled times ahead. You see, as children we were taught to look for the meanings and signs behind certain things, something which has stayed with me, even though as an adult, I find it totally bogus. Where I’m from, a crow’s signature caw portends misfortune, and its black color foretells a death. And yet, here in Berlin, that condemned raven has been my one and constant companion, especially on gray, gloomy days, when the skies have been dense with clouds. This crow, one of many, would arrive to perch itself on the iron banister of my high-rise apartment balcony, and with its squawk and the pitter patter of its claws would delight me to no measure. As soon as I saw it, I’d call out to it, imitating its sound. Soon, though, I found I was persisting in the act even when there were no crows around. I cawed at my friends, alone at home, and even when I spoke on the phone.

Last summer, my cell phone stopped working as if it too wished to withdraw into oblivion. As with everything else, it abandoned me without remorse, leaving no replacement in place. I feigned nonchalance, meeting its silence with my own and placed it in a drawer to rest in peace among long abandoned papers. I decided not to replace it, unaware of the gravity of this brazen decision.

And so I set off to explore this city that regards everything transitory after a cursory check on the soundness of wandering around in a city, like Berlin, without access to a cell phone.

Understandably, I found no problem navigating the familiar places to which I had been many times before, thanks to the map application on my phone. I had, in fact, memorized the names of certain streets as well as those of train stations alongside their numbers and routes. I was able to recall the total number of stations between point A and point B and the actual time it took to get from one to the other. Unsurprisingly, it was when I decided to steer away from the familiar that things got more complicated. How do I find where I’m going without getting lost? How do I let someone know that I am going to be late because I’ve lost my way? (I don’t) How do I apologize for not showing up when faced with an emergency? (again, I don’t) How was I to get in touch with my family, friends or even colleagues? (by email, and only when necessary).

It seemed as if I were living back in the days when homing pigeons had been used to deliver and receive correspondences. I found that I was shockingly elated.  And although my social life took a nose dive, reconnecting with myself was doing me a world of good. I was finally listening to that internal voice that had pleaded with me, for years, to pay attention to it and that I had allowed the bustle of life to override.  

Then I needed to get a rapid Covid test. I arrived at the lab unannounced, and pushed through the door as if I were about to surprise my family with my sudden appearance. However, judging by the receptionist’s unwelcoming reaction, you’d think, in fact, that I had been breaking an entry.

“Hello! Where are you headed? Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist hollered.
“Can I make one?” I asked, feigning a calm and gullible demeanor.
“You’ll have to register first,” she said.

I made to head to her desk to do just that but she soon put a stop to that.

“First, you need to go outside, scan the QR code to access the registration page. After that’s done, you can log in to the system to schedule an appointment,” she explained.
“Hmm,” I muttered. “I haven’t got a phone,” I said.

The woman looked at me in bewilderment. It seemed like she couldn’t comprehend what I was saying. Recovering her professional demeanor, she explained that the process could only be carried out electronically, although it still required my actual ID card. Luckily, I had brought that with me.

Suffice to say that all my attempts to persuade the woman for an appointment amounted to nothing. The operation could not be completed. The employee’s adamant resolve that things could not take place, was further proof that in today’s digital age, in which robots and artificial intelligence rule, logic and common sense were nothing but antiquated concepts of bygone times. We now lived at the mercy of a confusing era that allowed no departure from the rules, and opted to squash all dissidents and deviants that challenged authority.

I returned home defeated and deflated, knowing that I would not be able to go out again. It was turning out to be a lonesome and tough day, one suited only for staying in, and contemplating my state of affairs. All I desired was to be alone with my thoughts. Besides that, a feeling deep inside me wished to latch on to this peculiar predicament — instigated by a rebellious phone — as further excuse for my constant introversion where I could safely observe the world from afar. For in distancing oneself from reality, one is better able to understand it and therefore to respond to it.


One fine day, I remembered that my friend had gifted me a toy, one similar to the one we used to play with as children. It was a small flat and rectangular encasement, made of plastic, that housed five tiny round beads. At its base were five tiny slots and the whole thing made a beeping sound each time I moved it. In order to win the game, I had to maneuver the contraption in such a way so that each bead would move to occupy an empty slot. Once all five beads were placed in the available slots, the game was over. It was an infuriating game, since no sooner did I manage to get one bead into its position, than another one escaped, after which, frustrated, I would have to start all over again. I look back and observe how alienated and alone I must have felt on Berlin’s crowded public transport heaving with passengers glued to their phone screens, as I in turn was transfixed to my own beeping version of a screen, struggling to home those beads.

Soon though, the beeping sound became a familiar one. As I walked around the city, I could hear the muffled ding emanating from inside my handbag. I always carried the toy with me and when I switched bags, I always made sure to take it with me. With time, the dinging represented comfort and reassurance, especially on those nights when I walked home alone. Like the bell a shepherd hangs around a goat’s neck to find it when it goes astray, I wondered, whether I too, would be found in the midst of my wandering, shepherded back to safety.

I love Berlin, but sometimes I forget that I live in Germany’s capital. I forget I live in a large, filthy, and savage city, scant of bright corners of relief. And, I forget that I reside under a cold gray sky that titillates the deep recesses of my mind.

I forget all this, and when I remember I become confused.

I consider Berlin a warm and intimate place. The friends I’ve made here come from lands I can only dream of visiting because of the banalities of borders, passports and the stupidity of those who decree witless laws. And yet, from this small place, a part of me feels that I’ve already been to all these places and experienced them through the eyes of my friends and the stories that they tell.

 

Translated from the Arabic by Rana Asfour.

Maisan Hamdan

Maisan Hamdan

Maisan Hamdan is a Palestinian writer, cook and activist born in Haifa and based in Berlin. She is interested in fiction and food cultures.

Rana Asfour

Rana Asfour is the Managing Editor at The Markaz Review, as well as a freelance writer, book critic, and translator. Her work has appeared in such publications as Madame Magazine, The Guardian UK, and The National/UAE. She chairs TMR's English-language Book Club,... Read more

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

“My Mother is a Tree”—a story by Aliyeh Ataei

2 JULY 2023 • By Aliyeh Ataei, Siavash Saadlou
“My Mother is a Tree”—a story by Aliyeh Ataei
Cities

In Shahrazad’s Hammam—fiction by Ahmed Awadalla

2 JULY 2023 • By Ahmed Awadalla
In Shahrazad’s Hammam—fiction by Ahmed Awadalla
Fiction

Tears from a Glass Eye—a story by Samira Azzam

2 JULY 2023 • By Samira Azzam, Ranya Abdelrahman
Tears from a Glass Eye—a story by Samira Azzam
Featured Artist

Artist at Work: Syrian Filmmaker Afraa Batous

26 JUNE 2023 • By Dima Hamdan
Artist at Work: Syrian Filmmaker Afraa Batous
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
Essays

Alien Entities in the Desert

4 JUNE 2023 • By Dror Shohet
Alien Entities in the Desert
Featured Artist

Nasrin Abu Baker: The Markaz Review Featured Artist, June 2023

4 JUNE 2023 • By TMR
Nasrin Abu Baker: The Markaz Review Featured Artist, June 2023
Islam

From Pawns to Global Powers: Middle East Nations Strike Back

29 MAY 2023 • By Chas Freeman, Jr.
From Pawns to Global Powers: Middle East Nations Strike Back
Book Reviews

How Bethlehem Evolved From Jerusalem’s Sleepy Backwater to a Global Town

15 MAY 2023 • By Karim Kattan
How Bethlehem Evolved From Jerusalem’s Sleepy Backwater to a Global Town
TMR Conversations

TMR CONVERSATIONS: Amal Ghandour Interviews Raja Shehadeh

11 MAY 2023 • By Amal Ghandour, Raja Shehadeh
TMR CONVERSATIONS: Amal Ghandour Interviews Raja Shehadeh
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>
Book Reviews

In Search of Fathers: Raja Shehadeh’s Palestinian Memoir

13 MARCH 2023 • By Amal Ghandour
In Search of Fathers: Raja Shehadeh’s Palestinian Memoir
Centerpiece

Broken Home: Britain in the Time of Migration

5 MARCH 2023 • By Malu Halasa
Broken Home: Britain in the Time of Migration
Essays

More Photographs Taken From The Pocket of a Dead Arab

5 MARCH 2023 • By Saeed Taji Farouky
More Photographs Taken From The Pocket of a Dead Arab
Essays

Home Under Siege: a Palestine Photo Essay

5 MARCH 2023 • By Anam Raheem
Home Under Siege: a Palestine Photo Essay
Art & Photography

Becoming Palestine Imagines a Liberated Future

27 FEBRUARY 2023 • By Katie Logan
<em>Becoming Palestine</em> Imagines a Liberated Future
Columns

Sudden Journeys: Deluge at Wadi Feynan

6 FEBRUARY 2023 • By Jenine Abboushi
Sudden Journeys: Deluge at Wadi Feynan
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
Music

Berlin-Based Palestinian Returns to Arabic in new Amrat Album

23 JANUARY 2023 • By Melissa Chemam
Berlin-Based Palestinian Returns to Arabic in new <em>Amrat</em> Album
Book Reviews

End of an Era: Al Saqi Bookshop in London Closes

16 JANUARY 2023 • By Malu Halasa
End of an Era: Al Saqi Bookshop in London Closes
Art

The Creative Resistance in Palestinian Art

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

The Swimmers and the Mardini Sisters: a True Liberation Tale

15 DECEMBER 2022 • By Rana Haddad
<em>The Swimmers</em> and the Mardini Sisters: a True Liberation Tale
Essays

Conflict and Freedom in Palestine, a Trip Down Memory Lane

15 DECEMBER 2022 • By Eman Quotah
Art

Art World Picks: Albraehe, Kerem Yavuz, Zeghidour, Amer & Tatah

12 DECEMBER 2022 • By TMR
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
Art

Where is the Palestinian National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art?

12 DECEMBER 2022 • By Nora Ounnas Leroy
Where is the Palestinian National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art?
Columns

Sudden Journeys: Israel’s Intimate Separations—Part 3

5 DECEMBER 2022 • By Jenine Abboushi
Sudden Journeys: Israel’s Intimate Separations—Part 3
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>
Film

Viral Depression in Maha Haj’s Mediterranean Fever

15 NOVEMBER 2022 • By Viola Shafik
Viral Depression in Maha Haj’s <em>Mediterranean Fever</em>
Fiction

“Eleazar”—a short story by Karim Kattan

15 NOVEMBER 2022 • By Karim Kattan
“Eleazar”—a short story by Karim Kattan
Columns

Sudden Journeys: Israel’s Intimate Separations—Part 2

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

Fragile Freedom, Fragile States in the Muslim World

24 OCTOBER 2022 • By I. Rida Mahmood
Fragile Freedom, Fragile States in the Muslim World
Interviews

Interview with Ahed Tamimi, an Icon of the Palestinian Resistance

15 OCTOBER 2022 • By Nora Lester Murad
Interview with Ahed Tamimi, an Icon of the Palestinian Resistance
Columns

Sudden Journeys: Israel’s Intimate Separations—Part 1

26 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Jenine Abboushi
Sudden Journeys: Israel’s Intimate Separations—Part 1
Editorial

Why Berlin?

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Jordan Elgrably
Why Berlin?
Essays

Translating Walter Benjamin on Berlin, a German-Arabic Journey

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Ahmed Farouk
Translating Walter Benjamin on Berlin, a German-Arabic Journey
Centerpiece

“What Are You Doing in Berlin?”—a short story by Ahmed Awny

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Ahmed Awny, Rana Asfour
“What Are You Doing in Berlin?”—a short story by Ahmed Awny
Film

Ziad Kalthoum: Trajectory of a Syrian Filmmaker

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

My Berlin Triptych: On Museums and Restitution

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Viola Shafik
My Berlin Triptych: On Museums and Restitution
Columns

Phoneless in Filthy Berlin

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Maisan Hamdan, Rana Asfour
Phoneless in Filthy Berlin
Cuisine

Berlin Gastronomical: A Feast of Flavors

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Randa Aboubakr
Berlin Gastronomical: A Feast of Flavors
Essays

Kairo Koshary, Berlin’s Egyptian Food Truck

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Mohamed Radwan
Kairo Koshary, Berlin’s Egyptian Food Truck
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
Columns

Unapologetic Palestinians, Reactionary Germans

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Abir Kopty
Unapologetic Palestinians, Reactionary Germans
Art

On Ali Yass’s Die Flut (The Flood)

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Ala Younis
On Ali Yass’s Die Flut (The Flood)
Art & Photography

Photographer Mohamed Badarne (Palestine) and his U48 Project

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Viola Shafik
Photographer Mohamed Badarne (Palestine) and his U48 Project
Art & Photography

Shirin Mohammad: Portrait of an Artist Between Berlin & Tehran

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Noushin Afzali
Shirin Mohammad: Portrait of an Artist Between Berlin & Tehran
Essays

Exile, Music, Hope & Nostalgia Among Berlin’s Arab Immigrants

15 SEPTEMBER 2022 • By Diana Abbani
Exile, Music, Hope & Nostalgia Among Berlin’s Arab Immigrants
Film

Two Syrian Brothers Find Themselves in “We Are From There”

22 AUGUST 2022 • By Angélique Crux
Two Syrian Brothers Find Themselves in “We Are From There”
Opinion

Attack on Salman Rushdie is Shocking Tip of the Iceberg

15 AUGUST 2022 • By Jordan Elgrably
Attack on Salman Rushdie is Shocking Tip of the Iceberg
Music Reviews

Hot Summer Playlist: “Diaspora Dreams” Drops

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

Tunisia’s Imed Alibi Crosses Borders in new “Frigya” Electronica Album

18 JULY 2022 • By Melissa Chemam
Tunisia’s Imed Alibi Crosses Borders in new “Frigya” Electronica Album
Editorial

Editorial: Is the World Driving Us Mad?

15 JULY 2022 • By TMR
Editorial: Is the World Driving Us Mad?
Art & Photography

Featured Artist: Steve Sabella, Beyond Palestine

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

Sulafa Zidani: “Three Buses and the Rhythm of Remembering”

15 JUNE 2022 • By Sulafa Zidani
Sulafa Zidani: “Three Buses and the Rhythm of Remembering”
Film

Saeed Taji Farouky: “Strange Cities Are Familiar”

15 JUNE 2022 • By Saeed Taji Farouky
Saeed Taji Farouky: “Strange Cities Are Familiar”
Fiction

Selma Dabbagh: “Trash”

15 JUNE 2022 • By Selma Dabbagh
Selma Dabbagh: “Trash”
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
Art

Fouad Agbaria: Featured Artist

15 MAY 2022 • By TMR
Fouad Agbaria: Featured Artist
Essays

We, Palestinian Israelis

15 MAY 2022 • By Jenine Abboushi
We, Palestinian Israelis
Interviews

Palestinian Rapper Tamer Nafar Goes the Distance: An Interview

15 MAY 2022 • By Sheren Falah Saab
Palestinian Rapper Tamer Nafar Goes the Distance: An Interview
Featured excerpt

Palestinian and Israeli: Excerpt from “Haifa Fragments”

15 MAY 2022 • By khulud khamis
Palestinian and Israeli: Excerpt from “Haifa Fragments”
Latest Reviews

Palestinian Filmmaker, Israeli Passport

15 MAY 2022 • By Jordan Elgrably
Palestinian Filmmaker, Israeli Passport
Book Reviews

In East Jerusalem, Palestinian Youth Struggle for Freedom

15 MAY 2022 • By Mischa Geracoulis
Book Reviews

Being There, Being Here: Palestinian Writings in the World

15 MAY 2022 • By Brett Kline
<em>Being There, Being Here: Palestinian Writings in the World</em>
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
Opinion

Palestinians and Israelis Will Commemorate the Nakba Together

25 APRIL 2022 • By Rana Salman, Yonatan Gher
Palestinians and Israelis Will Commemorate the Nakba Together
Columns

Green Almonds in Ramallah

15 APRIL 2022 • By Wafa Shami
Green Almonds in Ramallah
Film

“Breaking Bread, Building Bridges”: a Film Review

15 APRIL 2022 • By Mischa Geracoulis
“Breaking Bread, Building Bridges”: a Film Review
Columns

Libyan, Palestinian and Syrian Family Dinners in London

15 APRIL 2022 • By Layla Maghribi
Libyan, Palestinian and Syrian Family Dinners in London
Film Reviews

Palestine in Pieces: Hany Abu-Assad’s Huda’s Salon

21 MARCH 2022 • By Jordan Elgrably
Palestine in Pieces: Hany Abu-Assad’s <em>Huda’s Salon</em>
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

“There’s Nothing Worse Than War”

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

Three Levantine Tales

15 DECEMBER 2021 • By Nouha Homad
Three Levantine Tales
Beirut

Sudden Journeys: The Villa Salameh Bequest

29 NOVEMBER 2021 • By Jenine Abboushi
Sudden Journeys: The Villa Salameh Bequest
Essays

Syria Through British Eyes

29 NOVEMBER 2021 • By Rana Haddad
Syria Through British Eyes
Centerpiece

Climate Disasters Hasten the Advent of a World Refugee Crisis

15 NOVEMBER 2021 • By Omar El Akkad
Climate Disasters Hasten the Advent of a World Refugee Crisis
Film Reviews

Victims of Discrimination Never Forget in The Forgotten Ones

1 NOVEMBER 2021 • By Jordan Elgrably
Victims of Discrimination Never Forget in <em>The Forgotten Ones</em>
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
Centerpiece

The Untold Story of Zakaria Zubeidi

15 OCTOBER 2021 • By Ramzy Baroud
The Untold Story of Zakaria Zubeidi
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

In Flawed Democracies, White Supremacy and Ethnocentrism Flourish

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

Gaza, You and Me

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

Making a Film in Gaza

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

The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter

4 JULY 2021 • By Maryam Zar
The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter
Columns

The Diplomats’ Quarter: Wasta of the Palestinian Authority

14 JUNE 2021 • By Raja Shehadeh
The Diplomats’ Quarter: Wasta of the Palestinian Authority
Book Reviews

The Triumph of Love and the Palestinian Revolution

16 MAY 2021 • By Fouad Mami
Editorial

Why WALLS?

14 MAY 2021 • By Jordan Elgrably
Why WALLS?
Essays

The Wall We Can’t Tell You About

14 MAY 2021 • By Jean Lamore
The Wall We Can’t Tell You About
Essays

Is Tel Aviv’s Neve Tzedek, Too, Occupied Territory?

14 MAY 2021 • By Taylor Miller, TMR
Is Tel Aviv’s Neve Tzedek, Too, Occupied Territory?
Essays

Between Thorns and Thistles in Bil’in

14 MAY 2021 • By Francisco Letelier
Between Thorns and Thistles in Bil’in
Latest Reviews

Lost in Marseille

17 APRIL 2021 • By Catherine Vincent
Lost in Marseille
Weekly

“I Advance in Defeat”, the Poems of Najwan Darwish

28 MARCH 2021 • By Patrick James Dunagan
“I Advance in Defeat”, the Poems of Najwan Darwish
TMR 7 • Truth?

Poetry Against the State

14 MARCH 2021 • By Gil Anidjar
Poetry Against the State
Poetry

A visual poem from Hala Alyan: Gaza

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

A Permanent Temporariness

14 FEBRUARY 2021 • By Alia Mossallam
A Permanent Temporariness
Book Reviews

The Howling of the Dog: Adania Shibli’s “Minor Detail”

30 DECEMBER 2020 • By Layla AlAmmar
The Howling of the Dog: Adania Shibli’s “Minor Detail”
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
Centerpiece

The Road to Jerusalem, Then and Now

15 NOVEMBER 2020 • By Raja Shehadeh
The Road to Jerusalem, Then and Now
World Picks

Interlink Proposes 4 New Arab Novels

22 SEPTEMBER 2020 • By TMR
Interlink Proposes 4 New Arab Novels

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