Fadi Zaghmout’s banned-in-Jordan “Laila”: a TMR Valentine
In this excerpt of the banned Jordanian novel "Laila," introduced by Rana Asfour and translated by Hajer Almosleh, readers get a sense of Fadi Zaghmout's prose and purpose.
The Imagination Interviews
(G)Hosting the Past: On Michael Rakowitz’s “Reapparitions”
Arie Akkermans reviews an Iraqi American's exhibitions as they attempt to recreate missing and destroyed artifacts taken from the National Museum of Iraq after the American invasion in 2003.
“The Translator” Brings the Syrian Dilemma to the Big Screen
Jordan Elgrably reviews the recent feature film from directors Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf.
Censorship, Book Burning and Abu Dhabi Orientalism
Abu Dhabi-based professor Deborah Williams contrasts the new American censorship of "Maus" and Harry Potter book burning with her own potentially inflammatory syllabus.
The Conspiracy to Conceal Conspiracies
Every warm-blooded Arab loves a good conspiracy theory — so, it turns out, do many Americans, observes cultural critic Mike Booth.
Poetic Justice: 70+ Contemporary Poets of Morocco
Amazigh Moroccan poet El Habib Louai reviews a recent anthology that has warmed the hearts of English-reading Moroccans during the pandemic.
Hananah Zaheer’s “Lovebirds”? Don’t Be Fooled by the Title
Mehnaz Afridi reviews the new book of short stories by a Pakistani American writer determined to disrupt her readers' expectations.
Arabic and Latin, Cosmopolitan Languages of the Premodern Mediterranean and its Hinterlands
Justin Stearns, a scholar of the pre-modern Muslim Middle East, reviews the new book by Karla Mallette on the fascinating history of two of the world's great languages.
Mapping an Escape from Cairo’s Hyperreality through informal Instagram archives
Even as the despotic rulers of post-revolution Egypt attempt to remake greater Cairo, hoping to gloss over the regime's dismal human rights record, one writer sees through the smoke and mirrors.
Rachid Taha and the Sway of Chaabi & Raï on Franco-Arab Rock
This month, TMR's music critic, Melissa Chemam, stumbles upon an unexpected exhibit of the history and influence of raï, chaabi and "Beur" politics on the French body politic.
An Oral History of Mouloukhiya from Egypt, Palestine, Tunisia and Japan
Four cooks from Egypt to Japan talk about their family lore and personal experience preparing mouloukhiya.
Taming the Immigrant: Musings of a Writer in Exile
Former prisoner and Egyptian writer in exile Ahmed Naji contemplates what it means to be a "brown writer" in exile in America.
Refuge, or the Inherent Dignity of Every Human Being
TMR's editor reflects on the experience of seeking home and refuge.
Fiction from “Free Fall”: I fled the city as a murderer whose crime had just been uncovered
TMR presents an exclusive excerpt from Abeer Esber's fourth novel, translated here by Nouha Homad, about a Damascene woman on the run, hiding out in Dubai.
Children in Search of Refuge: a Photographic Essay
Photographer, documentarian and journalist Iason Athanasiadis shares images from more than 10 years of reporting from Afghanistan to Greece and back.