“Do you love me enough that I may be weak with you? Everyone loves strength, but do you love me for my weakness? That is the real test.”
— Alain de Botton, “On Love: A Novel”
—Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays
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“What he knew, he knew from books, and books lied, they made things prettier.”
― Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life
• Palestinian literature recommendations - small books with a big impact •
Here’s a few recommendations for short reads. If you’re looking for small books to help you reach your reading goal before the end of the year or for when you need a shorter read to suit your time, these are all fairly quick reads but very impactful.
All Palestinian literature. Most of these recommendations are short story collections and mostly translated from Arabic. They each show the different ways the Israeli occupation has affected Palestinians. From the start of the Nakba, to the blockaded Gaza Strip, to Palestinians refugees in the diaspora.
* Shatila Stories published by Peirene Press, nine contributors (Palestinian and Syrian): Omar Khaled Ahmad, Nibal AlAlow, Safa Khaled Algharbawi, Omar Abdellatif Alndaf, Rayan Mohamad Sukkar, Safiya Badran, Fatima Omar Ghazawi, Samih Mahmoud, Hiba Mareb. Translated by Nashwa Gowanlock
* Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories by Ghassan Kanafani, translated by Hilary Kilpatrick
* The Sea Cloak and Other Stories by Nayrouz Qarmout, translated by Perween Richards
* Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette
* The Book of Ramallah edited by Maya Abu Al-Hayat, various translators
Have you read any of these? Are there others any you would add to the list or recommend me to read? The Book of Gaza is one I have on my radar that I want to read at some point.
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Are you coming to the AWP Writing Conference? Or do you live in Boston and like reading, writing, and the internet? Or drinking booze someone else paid for? Let’s high five each other, drink cocktails, and talk about books! Please join Electric Literature, Lapham’s Quarterly, and Tumblr for a celebration of virtual friends and real world meetings at Sweetwater Tavern in Boston on March 7th.
Navel-, shoe-, and stargazers unite! Electric Literature, Gigantic,and Tumblr present Literary Worlds, a Brooklyn Book Festival Bookends opening night party featuring the most dancing, sparkling conversation, reasonably priced cocktails, and bookish fun this side of the Milky Way.
DJing by Planet Rump. All-night specials include $4 pints and $5 specialty cocktails. Beer compliments of Brooklyn Brewery. Liquor compliments of Greenhook Ginsmiths.
Monday, 9/16, 7pm at The Bell House in Brooklyn. Free!
(RSVP on Flavorpill)
Save the Date! Spread the word!
