Stories From the Center of the World

April 1, 2024
Elgrably, editor in chief of the Markaz Review, presents a welcome if uneven anthology of new Middle Eastern short fiction. Among the 25 writers included are familiar names like Leila Aboulela and Hanif Kureishi and newcomers including May Haddad and Diary Marif. Plenty of entries dazzle: among them, Abdellah Taïa’s gorgeous and formally inventive “Nadira of Tlemcen,” translated from the Arabic by Elgrably, about a trans Algerian woman who reminisces on her decades turning tricks in Paris; and Mohammed Al Naas’s moving “The Cactus,” translated from the Arabic by Rana Asfour, in which a young Libyan man’s potted cactus becomes a totem for his memories and desires for the lover he left behind in Tripoli. In contrast, “Counter Strike” by MK Harb feels clumsy and prosaic in its portrayal of queer desire among teens in Beirut who spend their time playing video games in an internet café. Other entries are a bit overwrought, like Marif’s “My Rebellious Feet,” in which the narrator, a young boy, has an epiphany about human suffering as a result of losing one of his shoes. On the whole, however, the anthology fulfills Elgrably’s stated vision of creating “a collective orchestra of voices and... the beginning of an east-west conversation.” The highlights alone are worth the price of admission.

April 1, 2024
Short stories spotlighting the modern Middle East diaspora, from the cradle of civilization to outer space. Elgrably, the editor of (and contributor of one story to) this engaging collection, breaks up its 25 stories into three categories: exile, love, and faith. But its hallmark is its range of registers: It encompasses Amany Kamal Eldin's "The Suffering Mother of the Whole World," a lament for the cosmopolitan Egypt lost in the 1952 revolution; Alireza Iranmehr's bittersweet "Buenos Aires of Her Eyes," about an Iranian man paying a woman to write love letters to his father; and May Haddad's "Ride On, Shooting Star," in which a woman's efforts to reckon with her Lebanese roots drive her to interstellar travel. Many of the stories touch on well-known events, but Elgrably emphasizes offbeat perspectives and approaches. Farah Ahamed's excellent "Anarkali, or Six Early Deaths in Lahore" captures the troubled relationship between a Pakistani woman and an earnest Western researcher studying church bombings; Natasha Tynes' satirical "The Agency" turns on a Jordanian matchmaker and her impossibly demanding and sexist clients; and Ahmed Naji's "Godshow.com" follows an Egyptian immigrant in Las Vegas on a disappointing hunt for an appropriate mosque. Throughout, the stories assert that simplistic definitions of the region are pointless, especially since cultures routinely interweave or stratify: Nektaria Anastasiadou's "The Location of the Soul According to Benyamin Alhadeff" tracks an affair between a Jew and an Orthodox Christian in Istanbul, while Omar El Akkad's "The Icarist" turns on a young immigrant's realization that he dare not get too close to an emir's daughter. Few stories are overtly lecturing, but awareness of injustice runs throughout the book. As the narrator of Hanif Kureishi's "Asha and Haaji" notes, "The foreigner has been suspect from the beginning of time. But let us not forget: we are all potential foreigners." A lively and diverse set of tales from a complex region.

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Starred review from May 15, 2024
A cynical matchmaker befuddled by a persistent client. A street cleaner whose love for two very different men will have political repercussions. A frustrated writer who makes a literal deal with the devil--or does he? These and other indelible characters people 25 remarkable stories from the greater Middle East, "the center of the world, where recorded civilization got its start over 7,000 years ago." The tales are diverse in origin, genre, and tone, juxtaposing sf, romance, and suspense with family tragedy, farce, and mordant humor. Whether personifying the chaos of the Israeli occupation of Palestine as actual madness or poking fun at the remnants of British colonialism in Egypt, many of the stories confound common stereotypes about the region. There's the tentative romance between two gay teens in Beirut, who connect through video games, and the village runaway turned call girl. The most tantalizing surprise is a futuristic tale of a "cosmic courier" on the run, piloting her craft through asteroid belts while befriending an alien whose peaceful farm reminds her of life in her family olive grove in Lebanon. A deeply satisfying collection showcasing an array of brilliant writers who deserve to be better known.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.