Why Endings & Beginnings?
An editorial from the editor in chief as we close the end of an often painful, difficult and yet at times hopeful year.
TMR 37 • ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS
“The Summer They Heard Music”—a short story by MK Harb
There are some long, languid and even dangerous summers that Beirutis can never forget, and this is one of them.
“Of Wood and Hallucination”—fiction from Mansoura Ez-Eldin
After the war, a few scant survivors become one with the elements, and one takes to writing down thousands of words a day in an invented language.
“Twelve Angels”—fiction from Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi
In this short story by Egyptian writer Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi, translated from Arabic, a man contends with his mortality on his death bed.
“Kabul’s Haikus”—fiction from Maryam Mahjoba
In this short story by Maryam Mahjoba, a teacher from Japan travels to Afghanistan to teach at a girl's school.
The Paranda Network—Afghan Women Writing
Breaking stereotypes that their country is only about war, Afghan women continue to write despite the Taliban, writes Lillie Razvi.
“The Waiting Bones”—a story by Maryam Haidari
As this writer from Khuzestan remembers, the long Iran-Iraq war left many traces, names and ghosts in its eight-year wake.
Almost Every Day—from the novel by Mohammed Abdelnabi
An exclusive excerpt from Mohammed Abdelnabi's latest novel "Almost Every Day," translated from the Arabic by Nada Faris.
Huda Fakhreddine’s A Brief Time Under a Different Sun
Exclusive excerpt from Huda Fahreddine's "A Brief Time Under a Different Sun," translated from the Arabic by Rana Asfour.
In the Beginning and the End is the Book
Sophie Kazan Makhlouf reviews Venetia Porter's latest which offers an analysis of over 60 artists’ books from the British Museum collection.
“I, Hanan”—a Gazan tale of survival by Joumana Haddad
A young woman in Gaza who has already lost so much wants to live another day, in this short story by Joumana Haddad.
Why We Stay in Beirut, Despite Its Countless Crises
TMR's editor in chief, Jordan Elgrably, asks four Beirutis why they stay, and how they manage, enduring one crisis after another.
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.
“Junk”—a short story by May Haddad
Recycling violence, a fighting droid wants to leave a dystopian world of mechanized blood sports, but a human gets in the way.
Unshackling Language in Arabic Children’s Literature
A children’s book publisher in the Middle East makes the case for teaching children to read in their mother tongues.
A Jaha in the Metaverse—fiction by Fadi Zaghmout
A short story by Jordanian writer Fadi Zaghout in which a traditional Jordanian "Jaha" ceremony takes place in the metaverse.
Demolition and Recreation in Benghazi: Interview with Sarri Elfaitouri
Sarri Elfaitouri on urbanism, social reforms, and the legacy of colonialism in Libya after the March 2023 demolition of the city's center.
“The Followers”—a short story by Youssef Manessa
A selfish loser walks away from wasta and the Za’im' nefarious agenda he created and instrumentalized in this short story by Youssef Manessa.
The Day My Life Ended, It Began
What could have been the end of life was instead a milestone that led to the writer's greatest epiphany.