Chronicles of a Boy Manqué
Growing up a "Boy Hassan" in Latakia, Rana Haddad refused to wear a dress and act like a lady, bucking the conventions of her day.
London
Soudade Kaadan: Filmmaker Interview
Syrian filmmaker Soudade Kaadan is a jury member of the 81st Venice Film Festival, and the only Arab woman director to have won twice in Venice.
World Picks from the Editors: July 15 — August 2
Film and photography festivals, concerts, art, standup comedy, lectures...TMR World Picks run the gamut and are selected by our editors.
Censorship over Gaza and Palestine Roils the Arts Community
An Arab playwright in London reacts to the canceling of Palestinian voices six months into a horrific war.
Bilna’es at The Mosaic Rooms: Three Palestinian Artists
Bilna'es' "In the Shade of the Sun" at The Mosaic Rooms in London demonstrates the possibilities of collaboration and community.
Middle Eastern Artists and Galleries at Frieze London
Sophie Kazan explores the Middle Eastern artists and galleries on display when Frieze London celebrates its 20th anniversary.
“Silence is Golden”—a short story by Farah Ahamed
In Farah Ahamed's latest satire, one man's misunderstood greatness drives him to take preposterous action.
World Picks From the Editors, Sept 29—Oct 15, 2023
A Markaz Review bi-weekly roundup of our editors' favorite selections from within the global arts and culture scene.
London Cemeteries: And Now It Is Death
Selma Dabbagh's run through a London cemetery proves to be valuable fodder for the creative inspiration the writer was searching for.
Deniz Goran’s New Novel Contrasts Art and the Gezi Park Protests
A novel about "toxic authoritarianism" and how it has shaped the lives of countless young persons in Turkey, sometimes through exile.
Yogurt, Surveillance and Book Covers
Malu Halasa finds unexpected tastes, pleasures and upsets at the 2023 London Book Fair.
The Invisible Walls, a Meditation on Work and Being
Arab writer Nashwa Nasreldin reflects on her work experiences at home and abroad, and on the meaning of everything.
The Odyssey That Forged a Stronger Athenian
An Athens native returns to Greece after a 20-year sojourn across the Mediterranean and Middle East, covering turmoil and displacement.
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 Game of Self—How I Wrote The Buddha of Suburbia
Hanif Kureishi reminisces on how he came to write his first novel, a coming-of-age saga set in 1970s London.