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Reading the City: A City in Short Fiction
The Book of Ramallah: A City in Short Fiction
A coffee seller waits all day for one of his customers to ask him how he is, until eventually he just tells the city itself...
A teenager is ordered off a bus at a checkpoint and told he must kiss a complete stranger if he wants the bus to be let through...
A woman pilgrimages to the Cave of the Prophets, to pray for rain for her tiny patch of land, knowing it will take more than water to save it...
Unlike most other Palestinian cities, Ramallah is a relatively new town, a de facto capital of the West Bank allowed to thrive after the Oslo Peace Accords, but just as quickly hemmed in and suffocated by the Occupation as the Accords have failed. Perched along the top of a mountainous ridge, it plays host to many contradictions: traditional Palestinian architecture jostling against aspirational developments and cultural initiatives, a thriving nightlife in one district, with much more conservative, religious attitudes in the next. Most striking however – as these stories show – is the quiet dignity, resilience and humour of its people; citizens who take their lives into their hands every time they travel from one place to the next, who continue to live through countless sieges, and yet still find the time, and resourcefulness, to create.
Translated by Basma Ghalayini, Alexander Hong, Thoraya El-Rayyes, Mohammed Ghalaieny, Raph Cormack, Adam Talib, Yasmine Seale, Andrew Leber, Emre Bennett & Raph Cohen.
A teenager is ordered off a bus at a checkpoint and told he must kiss a complete stranger if he wants the bus to be let through...
A woman pilgrimages to the Cave of the Prophets, to pray for rain for her tiny patch of land, knowing it will take more than water to save it...
Unlike most other Palestinian cities, Ramallah is a relatively new town, a de facto capital of the West Bank allowed to thrive after the Oslo Peace Accords, but just as quickly hemmed in and suffocated by the Occupation as the Accords have failed. Perched along the top of a mountainous ridge, it plays host to many contradictions: traditional Palestinian architecture jostling against aspirational developments and cultural initiatives, a thriving nightlife in one district, with much more conservative, religious attitudes in the next. Most striking however – as these stories show – is the quiet dignity, resilience and humour of its people; citizens who take their lives into their hands every time they travel from one place to the next, who continue to live through countless sieges, and yet still find the time, and resourcefulness, to create.
Translated by Basma Ghalayini, Alexander Hong, Thoraya El-Rayyes, Mohammed Ghalaieny, Raph Cormack, Adam Talib, Yasmine Seale, Andrew Leber, Emre Bennett & Raph Cohen.
90 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 4, 2021
11 people are currently reading
962 people want to read
About the author
Maya Abu Al-Hayyat
8 books14 followersMaya Abu Al-Hayyat is a Beirut-born, Palestinian novelist and poet living in Jerusalem.
Abu Al-Hayyat is the author of four collections of poems, including You Can Be the Last Leaf (Milkweed, 2022), translated by Fady Joudah; four novels, including the latest, No One Knows His Blood Type (Dar Al-Adab, 2013); and numerous children’s stories, including The Blue Pool of Questions (Penny Candy Books, LLC, 2017). Her work has appeared in A Bird Is Not a Stone: An Anthology of Contemporary Palestinian Poetry (Freight Books, 2014). She is also the editor of The Book of Ramallah: A City in Short Fiction (Comma Press, 2021).
Abu Al-Hayyat is the director of Palestine Writing Workshop, an institution that seeks to encourage reading in Palestinian communities through creative writing projects and storytelling with children and teachers.
Abu Al-Hayyat is the author of four collections of poems, including You Can Be the Last Leaf (Milkweed, 2022), translated by Fady Joudah; four novels, including the latest, No One Knows His Blood Type (Dar Al-Adab, 2013); and numerous children’s stories, including The Blue Pool of Questions (Penny Candy Books, LLC, 2017). Her work has appeared in A Bird Is Not a Stone: An Anthology of Contemporary Palestinian Poetry (Freight Books, 2014). She is also the editor of The Book of Ramallah: A City in Short Fiction (Comma Press, 2021).
Abu Al-Hayyat is the director of Palestine Writing Workshop, an institution that seeks to encourage reading in Palestinian communities through creative writing projects and storytelling with children and teachers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
April 22, 2021
This is a collection of ten short stories all set in and around Ramallah, a town in Palestine.
A few of the authors I have come across before but the rest were new to me and a joy to discover.
A brief introduction by Maya Abu Al-Hayat gives a succinct background into Ramallah, the significance of its geographic placing as well as a brief insight into the cultural differences between Ramallah and its neighbour Al-Bireh. This was all valuable to read in itself and provided useful context for some of the stories.
This collection brings together a range of styles and tones. Some stories were more straight forward in their message and others left the reader to decide, or left them guessing altogether.
A few were set during the first or second intifada, and one was set during a lockdown of this pandemic, highlighting one woman’s isolation.
An unusual love was explored, as well as love that was impeded by the occupation.
In one of my favourite stories of the collection (Secrets Stroll the City’s Streets by Ahmed Jaber), Ramallah itself was the narrator; it was a short piece, simple, yet so beautiful. I loved the personification of the town, and in a few other stories we see how people hold a relationship with it.
Present in many of the stories was the brutality of the occupation, sometimes merely as background; the mundanity of the notorious checkpoint, the bulldozers creeping ever nearer to a cherished patch of land. But even in the smallest details of it, it demonstrated how it affected every aspect of life for Palestinians.
A particularly powerful quote, heartbreaking in all it says with a few sentences:
“What about your kids? Isn’t it time for you to get married and have some?”
“Me? Nah, our people don’t need one more widow and another set of orphans. There is enough suffering here! You’re the one that should get married.”
(Love in Ramallah by Ibrahim Nasrallah)
Thank you to Comma Press for the review copy
A few of the authors I have come across before but the rest were new to me and a joy to discover.
A brief introduction by Maya Abu Al-Hayat gives a succinct background into Ramallah, the significance of its geographic placing as well as a brief insight into the cultural differences between Ramallah and its neighbour Al-Bireh. This was all valuable to read in itself and provided useful context for some of the stories.
This collection brings together a range of styles and tones. Some stories were more straight forward in their message and others left the reader to decide, or left them guessing altogether.
A few were set during the first or second intifada, and one was set during a lockdown of this pandemic, highlighting one woman’s isolation.
An unusual love was explored, as well as love that was impeded by the occupation.
In one of my favourite stories of the collection (Secrets Stroll the City’s Streets by Ahmed Jaber), Ramallah itself was the narrator; it was a short piece, simple, yet so beautiful. I loved the personification of the town, and in a few other stories we see how people hold a relationship with it.
Present in many of the stories was the brutality of the occupation, sometimes merely as background; the mundanity of the notorious checkpoint, the bulldozers creeping ever nearer to a cherished patch of land. But even in the smallest details of it, it demonstrated how it affected every aspect of life for Palestinians.
A particularly powerful quote, heartbreaking in all it says with a few sentences:
“What about your kids? Isn’t it time for you to get married and have some?”
“Me? Nah, our people don’t need one more widow and another set of orphans. There is enough suffering here! You’re the one that should get married.”
(Love in Ramallah by Ibrahim Nasrallah)
Thank you to Comma Press for the review copy
June 1, 2021
“𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.” 🌇
The name ‘Ramallah’ (رام الله) is said to date back as early as 1186. A conjugation of the Arabic words ‘rām’ (‘hill’) and ‘Allah’ (‘God’), ‘God’s Hill’ is the de facto capital of the West Bank, the name a self-explanatory allusion to the city’s geographical position within Palestine. Ramallah’s proximity to Jerusalem and its adjacency to Al-Bireh makes it a fusion of traditional, cultural, liberal and modern; it is a vibrant city frequented by both tourists and native inhabitants.
Mirroring the vibrancy and diversity of the city, the ten short stories that comprise 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵 are varied in topic, genre and length. For some stories, the jovial and witty narratives readily soured against the backdrop of occupation and oppression, whereas for others the stifling scrutiny of the occupation begot optimism and a higher sense of purpose. As far as the translations go, the ten different translators did a decent job; each story was rich in detail and description and easy to follow, however there was still a notable difference between those that were translated by Arabs and and those by non-Arabs.
My only criticism of this book would be the inconvenient placement of the (foot)notes. For some reason, the editor decided to put the numbered references at the end of each story. It was a bit awkward constantly flitting between the page I was reading and the notes page so that I could read the references.
Also, the “Islamic” references in a few of the stories were problematic, but these are largely reflective of Palestinian cultural superstitions as opposed to “religious” taboos or Islamic concepts.
My favourites from this collection are:
🇵🇸Love in Ramallah - Ibrahim Nasrallah
🇵🇸A Garden that Only Drinks from the Sky - Liana Badr
🇵🇸Secrets Stroll the Cities Streets - Ahmed Jaber
🇵🇸Badia’s Magic Water - Maya Abu Al-Hayat
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The name ‘Ramallah’ (رام الله) is said to date back as early as 1186. A conjugation of the Arabic words ‘rām’ (‘hill’) and ‘Allah’ (‘God’), ‘God’s Hill’ is the de facto capital of the West Bank, the name a self-explanatory allusion to the city’s geographical position within Palestine. Ramallah’s proximity to Jerusalem and its adjacency to Al-Bireh makes it a fusion of traditional, cultural, liberal and modern; it is a vibrant city frequented by both tourists and native inhabitants.
Mirroring the vibrancy and diversity of the city, the ten short stories that comprise 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵 are varied in topic, genre and length. For some stories, the jovial and witty narratives readily soured against the backdrop of occupation and oppression, whereas for others the stifling scrutiny of the occupation begot optimism and a higher sense of purpose. As far as the translations go, the ten different translators did a decent job; each story was rich in detail and description and easy to follow, however there was still a notable difference between those that were translated by Arabs and and those by non-Arabs.
My only criticism of this book would be the inconvenient placement of the (foot)notes. For some reason, the editor decided to put the numbered references at the end of each story. It was a bit awkward constantly flitting between the page I was reading and the notes page so that I could read the references.
Also, the “Islamic” references in a few of the stories were problematic, but these are largely reflective of Palestinian cultural superstitions as opposed to “religious” taboos or Islamic concepts.
My favourites from this collection are:
🇵🇸Love in Ramallah - Ibrahim Nasrallah
🇵🇸A Garden that Only Drinks from the Sky - Liana Badr
🇵🇸Secrets Stroll the Cities Streets - Ahmed Jaber
🇵🇸Badia’s Magic Water - Maya Abu Al-Hayat
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 26, 2021
Short stories of life under occupation
Ramallah is a Palestinian city perched high on a hill in the occupied West Bank. It is a city that is both ancient and modern – and has become well known in recent years as the seat of the Palestinian government. It is a vibrant place with strong cultural connections and a thriving café society. It is also surrounded by ever encroaching Israeli settlements, and Israeli soldiers are often seen on its streets. It is a city under occupation.
Maya Abu Al-Hayat has assembled ten short stories that describe various aspects of life in Ramallah – from a girl forced to kiss a stranger by soldiers at an Israeli check point, to the early morning adventures of a street cleaner, to the events surrounding a football match between a city team and a team from a nearby refugee camp, to what happened to a woman whose patch of land to grow food was bulldozed to make way for a settlement road, even to a woman who married a horse! Tales that tell of both the normal, and abnormal, events in the life of the citizens of Ramallah. The are written by ten very talented local writers, and translated by ten equally talented linguists. You get a real feel for the place, and the issues it faces.
The Book of Ramallah is the latest in the ‘Reading the City’ series published by Comma Press. It is a great series featuring translated short stories from almost 20 cities around the world. Reading one is a great way to get under the skin of somewhere and experience it as the local do – warts and all.
Ramallah is a Palestinian city perched high on a hill in the occupied West Bank. It is a city that is both ancient and modern – and has become well known in recent years as the seat of the Palestinian government. It is a vibrant place with strong cultural connections and a thriving café society. It is also surrounded by ever encroaching Israeli settlements, and Israeli soldiers are often seen on its streets. It is a city under occupation.
Maya Abu Al-Hayat has assembled ten short stories that describe various aspects of life in Ramallah – from a girl forced to kiss a stranger by soldiers at an Israeli check point, to the early morning adventures of a street cleaner, to the events surrounding a football match between a city team and a team from a nearby refugee camp, to what happened to a woman whose patch of land to grow food was bulldozed to make way for a settlement road, even to a woman who married a horse! Tales that tell of both the normal, and abnormal, events in the life of the citizens of Ramallah. The are written by ten very talented local writers, and translated by ten equally talented linguists. You get a real feel for the place, and the issues it faces.
The Book of Ramallah is the latest in the ‘Reading the City’ series published by Comma Press. It is a great series featuring translated short stories from almost 20 cities around the world. Reading one is a great way to get under the skin of somewhere and experience it as the local do – warts and all.
May 17, 2025
This book is a collection of short stories by Palestinian authors. The book’s central themes revolve around love, loss, hope, despair and the love of their land. All the stories have a sadness tinge to them. None of the narrators are actually happy which is quite obvious because Palestine is occupied, how can its people know true happiness when they’re living in an apartheid state?
Anyway, all the stories pretty much had people going about their everyday lives as normally as they could but certain aspects of their lives would never be normal due to the occupation. These people are living in a constant state of stress; they can’t even be labeled as PTSD because the stress is not over.
Overall you learn that the Palestinian people lead ordinary lives with ordinary problems just like the rest of us, however with the backdrop of an occupation.
These were beautiful stories and I enjoyed reading every single one of them.
Anyway, all the stories pretty much had people going about their everyday lives as normally as they could but certain aspects of their lives would never be normal due to the occupation. These people are living in a constant state of stress; they can’t even be labeled as PTSD because the stress is not over.
Overall you learn that the Palestinian people lead ordinary lives with ordinary problems just like the rest of us, however with the backdrop of an occupation.
These were beautiful stories and I enjoyed reading every single one of them.
May 15, 2025
A nice collection of short stories based in and around the city of Ramallah. The stories explore a broad spectrum of styles: from the highly abstract and metaphorical to the very grounded and literal, and provide a fascinating glimpse into the daily lives of the Palestinian people. In addition, the translations are of a remarkably high quality.
April 5, 2021
I've praised the Reading the City series several times before and The Book of Ramallah only adds to my love of being able to explore the world through fiction. The authors' works collected, and expertly translated, manage to place the reader right into Ramallah and allow you to experience this city in a way you never could unless you lived there.
I was expecting to take my time with this, delve into one story every other day, but instead, I found myself increasingly drawn in and needing to read "just one more" until I quickly finished the collection. There is a variety of authors and topics but that same undercurrent of living in a city that has seen conflict and occupation echoes throughout and I'm left feeling much more aware of how it feels to live in that environment. There is joy in these stories though, and hope and love and creativity, I don't want you thinking they're all miserable. This is a book I'd recommend to everyone, an engaging and emotionally heartfelt way to learn more about a city and the resilience of its people.
A few personal favourites from the collection:
📖 Secrets Stroll The City's Streets / Ahmed Jaber
📖 A Garden That Drinks Only From The Sky / Liana Badr
📖 The Horse's Wife / Ahlam Bsharat
📖 Badia's Magic Water / Maya Abu Al-Hayat
Thank you to Comma Press is the gifted review copy 😊
I was expecting to take my time with this, delve into one story every other day, but instead, I found myself increasingly drawn in and needing to read "just one more" until I quickly finished the collection. There is a variety of authors and topics but that same undercurrent of living in a city that has seen conflict and occupation echoes throughout and I'm left feeling much more aware of how it feels to live in that environment. There is joy in these stories though, and hope and love and creativity, I don't want you thinking they're all miserable. This is a book I'd recommend to everyone, an engaging and emotionally heartfelt way to learn more about a city and the resilience of its people.
A few personal favourites from the collection:
📖 Secrets Stroll The City's Streets / Ahmed Jaber
📖 A Garden That Drinks Only From The Sky / Liana Badr
📖 The Horse's Wife / Ahlam Bsharat
📖 Badia's Magic Water / Maya Abu Al-Hayat
Thank you to Comma Press is the gifted review copy 😊
August 12, 2023
Read Around the World: Palestine
This was very good - I didn't love all the stories, but the ones that I did love, I loved fully and wished there was more to the story. A very good way to experience new writers from a country you have never read previously. So thankful for a friend who made this audiobook for me.
This was very good - I didn't love all the stories, but the ones that I did love, I loved fully and wished there was more to the story. A very good way to experience new writers from a country you have never read previously. So thankful for a friend who made this audiobook for me.
April 4, 2021
I really enjoyed The Book of Ramallah’s collection of short stories that together, paint a picture of life and survival under occupation, complete with the sarcasm, anger, questioning of identity, and pursuit of romance & human connection that come with it. Highly recommend 👍
December 9, 2021
Impeccably written stories and translations of stories showing the vibrancy and turbulence of living in and around Ramallah
October 27, 2025
This book introduces me to how vast and vibrant Arabic literature is. Everytime I finished a story, I read the author and translator's short biography, curious about how they keep their voice in the pressure of Israeli occupation. Yet they persevere, and even in the most destroyed part of Arab region, I still find pure joy and thrill reading the stories. Some absurd, some straightforward, but all of them easy to read and digest. This book is an immersive experience to dive in the snippet of Palestinian life. To feel the metropolitan Ramallah, God's hill, through the eyes of commoner who always feel threatened about every step they take. No provocation, no war cry, only silent hope, to live and go forward tirelessly into every checkpoints of Ramallah.
This book is a testament of hope, and spark my curiousity to travel with this series. From the series, I've already traveled to Jakarta and Ramallah, I'll go next to Shanghai or Cairo (in which the book I've already owned), or maybe somewhere else. Thank you Comma for compiling and curating this beautiful pieces!
This book is a testament of hope, and spark my curiousity to travel with this series. From the series, I've already traveled to Jakarta and Ramallah, I'll go next to Shanghai or Cairo (in which the book I've already owned), or maybe somewhere else. Thank you Comma for compiling and curating this beautiful pieces!
Read
June 28, 2021Really liked this anthology. A wide range of approaches and themes, always about Ramallah. It had more speculative leanings than The Book of Gaza (which I also really liked, this is not a pro or a con). It's only about 100 pages, but I would have read 200. Great foreword, too.
I picked up these two books because I was looking for Palestinian anthologies, but they also made me interested in the whole The Book of... series.
I'm planning on making individual threads about some of the stories (G-d willing), I'll link them here later, but I wanted to say something about the whole book first of all.
Threads:
"Secrets Stroll the City's Streets" by Ahmed Jaber, tr. Adam Talib:
https://twitter.com/bogiperson/status...
______
Source of the book: Bought with my own money
I picked up these two books because I was looking for Palestinian anthologies, but they also made me interested in the whole The Book of... series.
I'm planning on making individual threads about some of the stories (G-d willing), I'll link them here later, but I wanted to say something about the whole book first of all.
Threads:
"Secrets Stroll the City's Streets" by Ahmed Jaber, tr. Adam Talib:
https://twitter.com/bogiperson/status...
______
Source of the book: Bought with my own money
November 19, 2021
SOOOOO GOOD 🥺🥺🥺🥺
February 13, 2024
Ramallah is/was a relatively new town in Palestine and the de facto capital of the West Bank. This book is a collection of 10 short stories by Palestnian authors who overall interestingly reflect life in the city with dignity, humour and resilence and how its inhabitants survive the restrictions imposed on them everyday.
Ihad not encountered any of the authors before but Ienjoyed them all from the sadness when a girl was forced to kiss a male stranger by an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint to the humour encountered when a woman was married to a horse!
An excellent collection and thoroughly enjoyable
Ihad not encountered any of the authors before but Ienjoyed them all from the sadness when a girl was forced to kiss a male stranger by an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint to the humour encountered when a woman was married to a horse!
An excellent collection and thoroughly enjoyable
January 19, 2025
A reflective collection of translated short stories that all take place in the Palestinian city of Ramallah. I really enjoyed the absurdist/humorous tones of these stories juxtaposed against their very serious subject matters of occupation and death. While I was a bit distracted by the need for more editing (my copy had quite a few typos) and I wish some of these stories went on for longer, I enjoyed this collection and look forward to checking out more from these authors and this series! My favorites from this collection include "Love in Ramallah," "Get Out of My House," and "At the Qalandiya Checkpoint."
September 18, 2024
A vastly happier, warmer tone compared to The Book of Gaza, yet it still evokes a sense of resentment towards the Israelis.
One title, in particular, feels profoundly moving: "Secrets Stroll the City’s Streets." Though it’s only six pages long, I swear you’ll be choked up by the end.
Ramallah represents a certain mirage—a glimmer of hope that seems elusive to many writers.
In short: if The Book of Gaza was romantic, The Book of Ramallah is optimistic in how it encapsulates the tribulations of the Palestinians.
One title, in particular, feels profoundly moving: "Secrets Stroll the City’s Streets." Though it’s only six pages long, I swear you’ll be choked up by the end.
Ramallah represents a certain mirage—a glimmer of hope that seems elusive to many writers.
In short: if The Book of Gaza was romantic, The Book of Ramallah is optimistic in how it encapsulates the tribulations of the Palestinians.
December 16, 2021
I enjoyed a couple of the stories. In particular Badia's magic water by Maya Abu Al-Hayat and At the Qalandiya Checkpoint by Ameer Hamad. While A Garden that Drinks Only from The Sky was also good. But some of the other stories were a bit too strange or unclear in their meaning for me. A touch experimental although others might like them.
On the whole a good idea though.
On the whole a good idea though.
March 18, 2024
An incredibly dangerous book. It breaks down stereotypes, and humanizes people. The innate determination of humans is seen in their adaption and continuation of workaday life in the face of oppressive occupation. You will like the characters in this book, and by association you will come to admire their creators, authors who bring to life a people the world at best forgets and at worst demonizes. Read the book, be a person, be a humanizer.
May 13, 2022
I have a problem with the translation. I just could feel that if the translation is smoother, I could dive deep into these stories. However, it's still nice to read some fiction using Palestine as their background and let its people give their voices, underreported, to the world.
November 2, 2021
4.7/5⭐️
Personal Favorites:
☁️ Secrets Stroll the City's Streets
☁️ A Garden that Drinks Only From the Sky
☁️ Badia's Magic Water
☁️ Surda, Surda! Ramallah, Ramallah!
Personal Favorites:
☁️ Secrets Stroll the City's Streets
☁️ A Garden that Drinks Only From the Sky
☁️ Badia's Magic Water
☁️ Surda, Surda! Ramallah, Ramallah!
December 28, 2021
I believe a lot is lost in translation, even if it is still a fairly interesting read.
January 30, 2022
91/365
An interesting account of life in Ramallah, some painful, some more light hearted.
An interesting account of life in Ramallah, some painful, some more light hearted.
September 27, 2022
I enjoyed the new writings of young Palestinian authors. My favorite story in the collection is: “At the Qalandiya Checkpoint”. Loved the absurdity and the sharpness of it.
Read
November 3, 2023Note to self:
Ziad Khadash’s ‘Get Out of my House’ story raising questions on belonging or as in the introduction suggested a constant need to proof ones identity or innocence 10/10
Ziad Khadash’s ‘Get Out of my House’ story raising questions on belonging or as in the introduction suggested a constant need to proof ones identity or innocence 10/10
December 24, 2023
I really loved this. Such a strong sense of place alongside recognizable Palestinian absurdist stories. I felt quite homesick for Ramallah, and I’ll definitely be reading the Book of Gaza next
May 17, 2025
I really wanted to like it but I think the stories were too short to be satisfying.
May 23, 2025
It was a mixed bag, as usual with short story collections.
August 20, 2025
the last chapter <33333
September 18, 2024
Exceeded expectations. Consistently enjoyed this short story collection & look forward to exploring more of Maya Abu Al-Hyat’s work ♥️
July 12, 2021
The Book of Ramallah, edited by Maya Abu Al-Hayat and published by @commapress is a brave effort. I signed up to read this book out of frustration with my last read about Palestine, Apeirogon by Colum McCann.
So what’s great about this book? Authors and translators whom I have never read, experiences of Palestine that feel real and human without being appropriated by another non-native ‘expert’ and a close and intimate look at a city and its narratives that I don’t know if I will ever have the luck to experience first hand. The perfect pandemic escape... or not given we go into a ravaged city, depends on how you see it.
My favourite stories are Surda, Surda because it captures how you live on your toes and adapt perpetually in a world at war. I love the cheeky humour of the bus’ ever changing routes. Equally powerful is Get out of My House that touched a heartbeat in this immigrant as two protagonists roam around without a sense of home, each mistaken and delusional in their own way. And last but not the least, The Horse’s Wife because it epitomises an attempt to try styles and narratives that are new and not always fully fleshed out.
When you read the book you will realise that it’s importance is in existence than in its final literary outcome. This is not a safe, commercial book. That was clear from the few people who signed up to read it and how little is known by most of us about Ramallah!
And this is precisely why you need to read it, to make sure this book is successful enough that another press tomorrow will dare to publish more local writers in translation.
Reading this book feels political. By bringing it to my own radar and of those who might read this review, I hope we make an investment in getting to know a culture and a history that very few people want to acknowledge. The Middle East is complex, under-celebrated and often over simplified which a book like this tries to change.
The Book of Ramallah is by no means perfect. At times I found it uneven but that’s what it feels like when you tackle writing that doesn’t have the million dollar backing. Overcome the desire to write it off. If you do, you’ve a coarse diamond in your hand.
So what’s great about this book? Authors and translators whom I have never read, experiences of Palestine that feel real and human without being appropriated by another non-native ‘expert’ and a close and intimate look at a city and its narratives that I don’t know if I will ever have the luck to experience first hand. The perfect pandemic escape... or not given we go into a ravaged city, depends on how you see it.
My favourite stories are Surda, Surda because it captures how you live on your toes and adapt perpetually in a world at war. I love the cheeky humour of the bus’ ever changing routes. Equally powerful is Get out of My House that touched a heartbeat in this immigrant as two protagonists roam around without a sense of home, each mistaken and delusional in their own way. And last but not the least, The Horse’s Wife because it epitomises an attempt to try styles and narratives that are new and not always fully fleshed out.
When you read the book you will realise that it’s importance is in existence than in its final literary outcome. This is not a safe, commercial book. That was clear from the few people who signed up to read it and how little is known by most of us about Ramallah!
And this is precisely why you need to read it, to make sure this book is successful enough that another press tomorrow will dare to publish more local writers in translation.
Reading this book feels political. By bringing it to my own radar and of those who might read this review, I hope we make an investment in getting to know a culture and a history that very few people want to acknowledge. The Middle East is complex, under-celebrated and often over simplified which a book like this tries to change.
The Book of Ramallah is by no means perfect. At times I found it uneven but that’s what it feels like when you tackle writing that doesn’t have the million dollar backing. Overcome the desire to write it off. If you do, you’ve a coarse diamond in your hand.
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