Middle Eastern Fiction

أنا عائشة.

سأموتُ خلال سبعةِ أيّام.

وحتى ذلك الحين قرّرتُ أن أكتب

The Prophet is Kahlil Gibran's most famous work. He focuses on human relationships, as well as many other topics, including love, friendship, passion, work, good and evil, and time in a beautiful, simple, lyrical style.

"A sweeping, breathless romance" and "deliciously twisty" ~Jennifer deBie of Rosie's Book Review Team General Bakr, a half-human djinn warrior, has always felt like an outsider in the magical land of Qaf. Torn from his first love by war, he yearns to feel her touch—to hear her voice and kiss her lips. But the only reason he survived the searing scar across his torso was because a lilith demon made him her pet, and she doesn't like to share. Back at home in the magical kingdom of Shihala, Sheikha Sezan, a djinn princess, is just starting her war. Determined to be more than a marriage token...

"The Ghost In The Crater" is a gripping tale of resilience, friendship, and the unyielding human spirit. Set in a close-knit community, the story unfolds after a tragic night of intoxication and violence that leads to the disappearance of Alex, a beloved friend. The events of that night, concealed by guilt and fear, haunt the lives of those involved.

"His Excellency" is a novel by the world-famous Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz. It tells the story of the struggle of "Othman Bayoumi" who joined as a small employee in the archives department in one of the state departments. He obtained a baccalaureate degree, relying on himself after the death of his hard-working parents.

בכפר ההרים הנידח והשכוח יתיר עוברת אחת ליום רכבת אקספרס מפוארת, ואינה עוצרת. המלחמות פסחו על הכפר, והשגרה האפורה של תושביו הדעוכים משועבדת כל-כולה לרגע היומי שבו חולפת הרכבת. התושבים הכמהים להתרגשות חיה ואמיתית מתכננים להוריד את הרכבת מן הפסים בהפקר של פריקת אחריות, כדי לזכות בחוויה של דאגה וחמלה אנושיות מול האסון. כשנדפס הסיפור לראשונה התפעמו הקוראים והמבקרים מכוחם המפתיע ומן החידוש שבו, שבישר דור חדש בפרוזה העברית. היום, במבט לאחור, הוא עדיין מרגש בעוצמתו העלילתית ובאיכויותיו הסגנוניות, ואף מתגלים בו בדיעבד מבני העומק המזינים את כתיבתו המאוחרת יותר של יהושע, ומחזקים את הרושם העז שהם מותירים.

Caravana de sueños condensa la esencia del pensamiento oriental a través de un banquete de cuentos, dichos, poemas y alegorías, recopilado por uno de los más destacados expertos en filosofía oriental. Idries Shah construye una imagen completa de una consciencia única, relacionando la mitología con la realidad, iluminando patrones y diseños históricos, y presentando leyendas filosóficas en esta antología excepcional.

Printemps 1979, Téhéran. Alors que la révolution islamique met les rues de la capitale iranienne à feu et à sang, les mollahs brûlent tout ce qui représente le modèle occidental vanté par le chah déchu, désormais en exil. Seul dans les sous-sols du musée d'Art contemporain, son gardien Cyrus Farzadi tremble pour ses toiles. Au milieu du chaos, le jeune garçon des quartiers ouest convoque ses souvenirs. Il raconte la splendeur et la décadence de son pays à travers le destin incroyable de son musée.

Every book is an invitation to a journey. Not all journeys are worth the time, though. This book, Ali, by Joshua Sabey and Ali Alsamar, offers a journey worth taking—actually many journeys, including stories from the Qur’an and the Bible, family lore (from two families), and ancient glimpses into the human struggle through another Iraq's adventures: Sinbad.

Eleventh century, Northern Spain. Isabella has been a nun in the Christian kingdom of Galicia since she was a child, a gifted herbalist leading a quiet and spiritual life, devoted to God. But on a rare journey outside of the convent, she is taken by Viking raiders and sold to Morocco as a slave. Cruelly treated by her first owner, salvation comes from an unlikely source: Yusuf bin Tashfin, leader of a vast Muslim army intent on conquering all of North Africa. Isabella must struggle not only to survive her new life but to hold true to her faith, which is tested by great dangers...

Egyptian-born and London-raised, Alya Mooro grew up between two cultures and felt a pull from both. Where could she turn for advice and inspiration when it seemed there was nobody else like her? Today, Mooro is determined to explore and explode the myth that she must identify either as ‘Western’ or as one of almost 400 million other ‘Arabs’ across the Middle East.

His brother is in jail because of her. Her sister will be his bride and pay the price. The flame burns hotter when she's the ultimate sacrifice. Dark and dangerous Dara is the brother of her father's sworn enemy. He's the vicious villain and handsome as sin. His heart is full of darkness. Her father has warned her to stay away from men like him. His brother is still in jail because of Cyrah who's a thousand miles away. Her younger sister Ismat will suffer.

Über dreißig Erzählungen von namhaften Autorinnen und Autoren aller Generationen führen vom Mittelmeer bis in die Berge Ostanatoliens. Die Geschichten sind so gegensätzlich wie das Land selbst: Menschen erzählen von Liebe, Sehnsucht, der Familie und dem Streben nach einem besseren Leben. Herausragende Sprecher nehmen ihre Zuhörer*innen mit auf eine Reise durch die Vielfalt von Völkerlandschaften, Lebensformen und Landschaften der Türkei.

Al Mustafa is a young prophet preparing to depart from the city of Orphalese after a lengthy stay. The citizens beseech him to stay to no avail. Then they ask him to share his wisdom once more. He assents and speaks to them of love, marriage, children, work, joy, sorrow, freedom, teaching, friendship, beauty, and much more, promising to return one day.

واية "ناقة صالحة" للكاتب سعود السنعوسي، يحكي فيها السنعوسي عن الصحراء المأخوذة من مساحات الصحراء الشاسعة وتنتمي في حدودها لدولة الكويت، حيث اقتبس الراوي أجواءها من صميم القصص المتواترة عن دخيل بن أسمر وصالحة آل مهروس، جاعلاً بطل الرواية هذه للمرة الأولى امرأة، مقدماً أحاسيس ومنظور رؤيتها للأشياء من وجهة نظره، ليكون تحدياً جديد للكاتب الكويتي الذى خاض تجربته هذه مستنداً على البحث التاريخي والبحث عن الوقائع وتأمل الأحداث وتحولاتها.

Kurdish Syria, 2014. Karin longs to fight for her freedom. Except she’s forced to stay home while her brother heads into battle and ISIS advances. But when death and destruction arrive at the city gates, Karin shoulders her rifle and prepares to engage. Roza aches for the peaceful life of a wife and mother. But when she loses her husband in mortar fire, her grief drives her into the female militia to defend her family. Her rage only grows when she discovers her friend's sister has been captured by ISIS. Fighting side-by-side with their fellow sisters, Karin and Roza launch a daring and ...

If Arab women were given a voice, what story would they tell? To be a woman is a gift. But that gift does not come without challenges. Historically, women around the globe have fought to be heard. The stories of Arab women in particular have often been veiled in mystery. In Hear Us Speak, Suzy Kanoo lifts the veil. As a CEO, Suzy has enjoyed great success as an Arab businessperson; as a woman, she has witnessed firsthand how Arab legislation and culture has not always kept pace with a world that continues to evolve.

Leili could not have imagined that arriving late to Islamic morals class would change the course of her life. But her arrival catches the eye of a young man, and a chance meeting soon draws Leili into a new circle of friends and artists. Gathering in the cafes of Tehran, these young college students come together to create an underground play that will wake up their generation. They play with fire, literally and figuratively, igniting a drama both personal and political to perform their play - just once.

הספר הזה הוא דיווח ישיר מהחלל הפנימי, כפי שנצפה במסעותיי, ביניהם ואחריהם. כתבתי אותו עבור הסקרניות, הכמהות, ההרפתקניות, והמתעניינות שלא בהכרח מתכוונות לצאת בעצמן למסעות דומים. כל מסע דורש אומץ. כל סיפור מסע דורש התגברות על מבוכה ופחד. אולי זה אותו הדבר. חמש נשים (ועוד כלבה אחת) יוצאות למסע, כל אחת בדרכה. הן לא יוצאות לחפש את עצמן, הן יוצאות למצוא את הבלתי מוגבל. כדי להצליח לפרוץ גבולות הן נעזרות בכל מה שיכול לספק להן מידע חיוני, שיטלטל את תפיסת העולם השגורה. המסעות שלהן פסיכדליים, גשמיים, מיסטיים, פילוסופיים: מילים גדולות, שמתחילות במצוקה רוחנית אנושית, שאי אפשר להחניק עוד.

Woven from threads of Aramaic, Spanish, Ancient Greek, Sumerian and Arabic, A Dress of Locusts is an unforgettable song cycle in which the living and dead sing back and forth to one another. Here, Safa Khatib journeys across the possibilities of language and self, asking us to dwell in the thresholds between the 'old' and the 'new'.