“Common Types of Melancholy”—fiction from Shalaw Habiba
The Markaz Review presents a rare piece of prose in English translation from Kurdish writer Shalaw Habiba, translated by Savan Abdulrahman.
Wandering and Endless Sorrow: Farhad Pirbal’s The Potato Eaters
Cory Oldweiler reviews the debut story collection by Farhad Pirbal, one of Kurdistan’s iconic writers, now out from Deep Vellum.
All That Rage: On Comma Press’ Egypt +100
Alex Tan reviews a sci-fi anthology set in Egypt where all the writers aim to uplift the country from its post-revolutionary gloom.
Nabil Kanso: Lebanon and the Split of Life—a Review
Sophie Kazan reviews a new book on the late Nabil Kanso, the Lebanese pacifist artist whose work depicted the horrors of war.
World Picks from the Editors: AUGUST
Film and photography festivals, concerts, art, standup comedy, lectures…TMR World Picks run the gamut and are selected by our editors.
On The Anthropologists—an interview with Aysegül Savas
Amy Omar speaks to Ayşegül Savaş about her third novel, cinema and capturing the transitory phases of life.
Excerpt from The Anthropologists by Ayşegül Savaş
In her new novel, much like an anthropologist, Ayşegül Savaş explores how people live, love and set down roots in a new country.
Israel’s Black Panthers by Asaf Elia-Shalev—a Review
In the 1970s Israel’s Black Panthers rocked the establishment and brought the rampant discrimation against Arab Jews to light.
Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew by Avi Shlaim—a Review
Selma Dabbagh reviews Avi Shlaim’s memoir about his coming-of-age as an Iraqi Jew, living as a minority in Israel and then in England.
Poet Hedy Habra
Hedy Habra presents two poems from her fourth collection, “Or Did You Ever See the Other Side?”
Hafez, Iran’s Revered Poet, trans. Erfan Mojib & Gary Gach
Translators Erfan Mojib and Gary Gach present poetry from Hafez, Iran’s celebrated 14th century Persian lyric poet.
Morocco’s Bīylmawn Festival and the Threat of Cultural Attrition
The Bīylmawn festival has recently made a comeback but not everyone is pleased with the highly stylized and artistically reimagined carnival.