“The Mulberry Tree”—an excerpt from Altercation in Jahannam
In the Libyan village “Hell,” temperatures soar to unimaginable heights, and war breaks out over a parking space in the shade of a tree.
Libya
Artists Exploring Libya’s History, Cultural Resilience and Rebirth
Two exhibitions on Libya try to navigate between what to bring along from the country's past and what to burn down.
Illuminated Reading for 2024: Our Anticipated Titles
Four editors at The Markaz Review share some of their most anticipated titles publishing in 2024.
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.
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.
My Love for Derna: Interview with Libyan Writer Mahbuba Khalifa
A Libyan writer from Derna laments the floods that came not long after she devoted a short story collection to her hometown.
The Floods of Derna: Historical Parallels to Libya’s Crisis
Lama Elsharif finds that Derna’s harrowing flood proves a surprising catalyst for unity in a nation scarred by decades-long conflict and division.
Broken Home: Britain in the Time of Migration
Malu Halasa tells the story of refugees seeking asylum in Britain who brave the dangerous waters of the English Channel.
Al-Koni’s Tuareg Perspective on Islam’s Conquest of North Africa
Iason Athanasiadis reviews the new Ibrahim al-Koni translation of a story that recounts Islam's conquest of North Africa.
Fragmented Love in Alison Glick’s “The Other End of the Sea”
Nora Lester Murad reviews a "far-fetched" story of a marriage between a Palestinian Muslim and an American Jew.
Siena and Her Art Soothe a Writer’s Grieving Soul
Rana Asfour reviews Libyan-American author Hisham Matar's memoir of his time in Siena, Italy.
Egyptian Comedic Novel Captures Dark Tale of Bedouin Migrants
Saliha Haddad reviews the third novel in English translation by Egyptian writer Hamdi Abu Golayyel.
Libyan, Palestinian and Syrian Family Dinners in London
London-based journalist Layla Maghribi recalls her family dinners in Libyan, Palestinian and Syrian culinary traditions.
From Jerusalem to a Kingdom by the Sea
Rana Asfour reviews a new memoir about the legendary Dajani family, charged by a Turkish sultan with watching over King David's Tomb in Jerusalem, but exiled in 1948.
Why COMIX? An Emerging Medium of Writing the Middle East and North Africa
TMR’s guest editor Aomar Boum admires the growing movement of political cartooning in North Africa and the Middle East.