Doaa: From a Dreamworld to the Ashes of Displacement
A Gaza writer's creative, hopeful sister struggles to get her degree and build a family in the midst of a grinding war.
life and death
Heartbreak and Commemoration in Beirut’s Southern Suburbs
In the southern suburbs of Beirut, women openly grieve those they have lost, in the wake of Israel's latest onslaught.
No Place to Be: On Wadih Saadeh’s A Horse at the Door
Alex Tan reviews the new chronology of poems from Lebanon's bard of war and exile, Wadih Saadeh, translated by Robin Moger.
Beirut War Diary: 8 Days in October
Rima Rantisi depicts the uncertainty and anxiety of Israel's assault on Lebanon, illustrating its impact on daily life.
“Dear Sniper” —a short story by Ali Ramthan Hussein
Gatekeepers of Baghdad decide who lives, who dies, during 2019 protests against high unemployment, state corruption, and poor services.
Al-Thakla—Arabic as the Original Mourner
Abdelrahman ElGendy asks, how do you hold your grief in a language that's been its main perpetrator?
The Time of Monsters
Layla AlAmmar contemplates how the noise of the past can be perceived as a coherent narrative in hindsight.
A Treatise on Love
When disaster strikes Maryam Haidari between Tunis and Tehran, the past seven years of her life as a poet, writer and translator are thrown into stark relief.
“New Reasons”—a short story by Samira Azzam
In a translated tale from Palestine’s first lady of short stories, the newest technology exacts a toll on people ahead of their time.
Jesus Was Palestinian, But Bethlehem Suspends Christmas
Had Jesus been born today he would be considered Palestinian, and his birth would have faced many obstacles along the way, writes Ahmed Twaij.
A Student’s Tribute to Refaat Alareer, Gaza’s Beloved Storyteller
Killed in Gaza by the Israeli military, Refaat Alareer's spirit and words continue to live on in his students, writes Yousef M. Al Jamal.
Messages from Gaza Now / 2
Firsthand accounts of the war by Hossam Madhoun, a theatre-maker reporting from the rubble of Gaza.
“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.
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.
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.