We Wrote In Symbols: Love and Lust By Arab Women Writers

by Selma Dabbagh (Editor)

It is a little-known secret that Arabic literature has a long tradition of erotic writing. Behind that secret lies another – that many of the writers are women.

We Wrote in Symbols celebrates the works of 75 of these female writers of Arab heritage who articulate love and lust with artistry and skill. Here, a wedding night takes an unexpected turn beneath a canopy of stars; a woman on the run meets her match in a flirtatious encounter at Dubai Airport; and a carnal awakening occurs in a Palestinian refugee camp. From a masked rendezvous in a circus, to meetings in underground bars and unmade beds, there is no such thing as a typical sexual encounter, as this electrifying anthology shows.

Powerfully conveying the complexities and intrigues of desire, We Wrote in Symbols invites you to share these characters’ wildest fantasies and most intimate moments.

Genres: Poetry, Short Stories, Feminism, Fiction, Anthologies, Literature, Queer

320 pages, Paperback

Published April 29, 2021

About the author

Selma Dabbagh is a British Palestinian writer of fiction based in London. Her short stories have been included in a number of anthologies including those published by Granta and the British Council. She was English PEN’s nominee for International PEN’s David TK Wong Award 2005 and has won and been nominated for various international short story awards.
Her first novel Out of It (Bloomsbury, December 2011) that follows the lives of the children of the former exiled leadership who returned to Gaza with the peace deals of the 1990s was recently published to widespread acclaim and reviewed positively by The Independent, the Guardian, The Independent on Sunday, the Daily Mirror, the Times Literary Supplement as well as other British and Middle Eastern newspapers with The Times describing it as “A punchy first novel… beautifully observed… the plot races and the voices are strong.” Dabbagh has lived in various Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Bahrain and the West Bank. She has recently been working on the script and dialogue for a fiction feature film by the Director Azza el Hassan.

سلمى الدباغ: كاتبة فلسطينية- بريطانية تعيش في لندن. نشرت قصصها القصيرة في عدد من الكتب ورشحت لجائزة "International PEN David TK Wong"وجائزة "Pushcart" .

نشرت قصصها القصيرة ضمن مختارات قصصية صدرت عن مجموعة Granta «جرانتا» و International PEN «منظمة القلم الدولية». تعد «خارج غزة» روايتها الأولى.

Reviews

[Miriam T · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredibly curated collection of pieces. This book is SO important to the scholarship of Arab voices; I studied Middle East Studies formally for 4 years and never read anything like this. There is a story of a woman who discovers masturbation (and her body more generally) in a Palestinian refugee camp. There is a story of 2 young Saudis who have an affair in a hotel room and have to sneak around because of the danger. There are many stories of women losing their virginity, or realizing they are gay, or rewriting power dynamics with men etc just so so amazing to have a collection like this.

In general, I found the short stories exponentially more compelling than the poems but that could also be just because poetry is much harder for me to absorb and find meaning from.

[Amanda B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of short stories and poetry written by Arab women writers. As I usually find with short stories, a mixed bag for me.

[Cardyn Brooks]

http://blerdybingereader.blogspot.com...

[Habeeb Akande · Rating 3 out of 5]

We Wrote in Symbols celebrates the works of 75 women writers of Arab heritage who articulate love and lust. Edited by British-Palestinian author Selma Dabbagh, the anthology highlights the tradition of female erotic Arabic literature.

The book argues that writing about love, desire and sex is no contemporary trend in Arabic literature. Nor is it something that can be attributed to Western influence. Women in Arab-Muslim countries have been featured in erotic Arabic literature as far back as the pre-Islamic era.

For many conservative Arabs nowadays, the words haram (forbidden) and ‘aib (shameful) are commonly associated with sex and female desire. A lack of formal sex education has contributed to the taboo of sex in Arab-Muslim and Arab-Christian households. Contrary to popular belief, sexual writings were very popular amongst pre-modern Arabs. Erotica was a strong feature in early Arabic literature and women were prolific contributors. Sometimes, they wrote anonymously or under pen names for fear of retribution. .

The anthology provides a fascinating insight into the hidden world of Arab women's sensuality. The book also pushes back on Western portrayals of the fetishized Arab women based on their conjured assumptions of “what Arab women are like.” Some of the featured writers include Salwa al-Neimi, author of The Proof of the Honey.

[Lauren Pybus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this collection but i would have loved longer stories and more poems I think

[Aisha (thatothernigeriangirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is such a boundary pusher! Some of the entries didn’t bang like others; some were too abstract and tried “too hard” IMHO; but the ones that understood the assignment, UNDERSTOOD IT TO THE CORE!
I can’t wait to write a full review for this one

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Lord of the Unknown, I have hidden the name I desire in a poem like a treasure in a pocket” 💛

[João Félix · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We Wrote in Symbols”,edited by Selma Dabbagh, is one of the few books that can be described as truly groundbreaking. An anthology of writing by Arab and Arab heritage women writers, it focuses on a completely ignored topic- love and lust writing by Arab and arabic women.
The topics vary from the explicitly erotic to the love, lust and sex in the context of the lives, struggles and fights of persons and society.


With a truly legendary and comprehensive roster, from pre-islamic writers to contemporary authors, it encompasses themes even more profound than those- it encapsulate the lives, challenges, joys and perils of life and people, the tension between being brought on two cultures and the struggle and lives of refugees.

The quality varies, although most of it is excellent quality- and writing that is and will become a staple on world literature. Most of it shows breathtaking quality- I especially underline the poems and writings of contemporary authors- lisa luxx, Mouna Ouafik, Joumana Hadda, Leila Slimani, Joyce Mansour and Yasmine Seal, Nayla Elamin,  but also who can overlook the mastery of the andalusian poet Wallada bint al-Mustafki and Ulayya bint Al-Mahdi.

A special mention needs to be made to the remarkable excerpt of “Fig Milk”, from Samia Issa, which to my knowledge has not been translated from Arabic yet.
Read it, read it, read it.

[Fatma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the concept of this book, highlighting women Arab writers across the times. Some of the stories and poetry was enjoyable. Most were average. Some I felt I needed more or a proper context. I still feel this is a good book to have as a reference in your personal library.

[Blair Eleazer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really unique, eye opening collection of poems and short stories of Arabic women. I’ve never read anything like it and it just goes to show how much there is to the culture and voices in the Middle East than meets the eye. It talked about masturbation, consensual one night stands, unrequited love, and maneuvering power dynamics in relationships.

I found the short stories much easier to digest than the poems but that also is probably bc I’m not very good at reading between the lines of poetry.

[Martha Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this collection! It gave me insight on arab women writers narrating situations involving love and lust, secrets, relationships, women empowerment, homosexuality, and affairs. There is a great variety of topics and approaches. I felt more connected to the stories than the poems, but I believe it will have a lot to do with the fact that they have been translated and that the reference to certain concepts lacks a cultural connection on my part.

[Gally · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of poetry and prose spanning continents and millennium, from the sensual, to the fantastical, to the graphic and violent. Intimacy, desire, and sex are the rule, with tragedy, saphism, and, perhaps most especially, secrecy underlining many of these stories. The wordplay throughout is wonderful, with several pieces much outshining the rest.
I'd like the pieces to be dated in-text, but the book does include biographies on the authors at the rear.

[Nadine Al lahham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a combination of short stories and poems written by women from Arab regions in different times. I wouldn't say that this is the best collection you can have to enjoy literature, but it is definitely the best collection to see the other side of Middle Eastern women that is usually hidden or overshadowed. Different themes are explored such as love, sexuality, oppression and social constraints that the women in that region face.

[ي · Rating 4 out of 5]

as if we needed more proof that arab women are, have been and will always be baddies.

i found some of the poems too abstract for my taste and would’ve loved to have the texts in their original language but i really liked this overall!

[Emily May · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's not to love? This is a wonderful collection of female erotica contributed by arab women, there are some real gems, and much of the content is just so ... Real. It's a fun read and I loved marking the poems that resonated with me personally.

[Mills College Library]

892.70803 W3618 2021

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling read. Impressively curated - there's the impression that the book has its own melody: modern short stories interspersed with ancient verses and poetry.

[Perla Olmi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had high expectations, turned out underwhelming.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially enjoyed the translations of classical poetry, but there were quite a few contemporary gems too.

[Nirvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short stories are really engulfing but I’m not sure I understood the translations of a lot of the poems.

[vale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Algunas historias súper buenas, otras no tanto. Coincidencia q las mejores eran las saficas? No. Nadie se sorprendió.

[Hiba · Rating 3 out of 5]

i would actually give it 3.5 stars

i finished it in a day, very easy & quick read. obviously the translations do not do the poems any justice but it feels nice to connect with arab female poets and finally hear about them; i never have heard we had so many.

[Stephen Mc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pillow book and contains some interesting selections full of eastern promise .
Mostly translations from arabic or French.I think this works ok with the prose but I am sure it is harder with the poems. I saw Selma at the literature festival and liked her.If you like hot spice and steamy windows you will enjoy it.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice collection, some gems in here

[✶ nu · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice