This week, our Editors-at-Large take us around the world for updates on recent publications and annual book fairs! From a discussion on ‘cancelling’ and its real-world parallels to the genocide of Palestinians, to the passing of a beloved Greek poet, read on to learn more.
Carol Khoury, Editor-at-Large for Palestine and the Palestinians, reporting from Palestine
Has ‘cancelling’ subsided lately? Surely not for the Palestinians. Sadly, these times might even be the worst for them, to the extent that the ICJ is considering whether they are being subjected to genocide, i.e., literally a cancelling, an erasure! But when it comes to literature, this concept of cancelling, of erasing, often serves as a lens to examine social dynamics, power structures, and questions of identity.
This is the case of The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem. Originally published in North America by Syracuse University Press some five years ago, a revised and updated English translation (by the original translator Sinan Antoon) is appearing this month by And Other Stories.
Using magical realism to shed light on real-world tensions and human experiences in Israel and Palestine, this book is a thought-provoking novel that explores those complexities through a unique premise. The story imagines a scenario where all Palestinians suddenly vanish overnight. Azem skillfully uses this surreal concept to examine issues of identity, memory, and power dynamics in the region. The narrative alternates between the perspective of Alaa, a young Palestinian man, and the reactions of Israeli society to the mysterious disappearance.
The novel’s strength lies in its nuanced portrayal of characters on both sides, avoiding simplistic villains or heroes. Its open-ended conclusion may frustrate those seeking more concrete resolutions (indeed, as we are in these uncertain times). In the words of its new publisher, “The Book of Disappearance is an unforgettable glimpse into contemporary Palestine as it grapples with both the memory of loss and the loss of memory.”
Even if her whole people disappeared, Ibtisam Azem can still be watched in a recording she took part in at Palestine Writes Literature Festival, or you can read an interview with her in Strange Horizons.
Christina Chatzitheodorou, Editor-at-Large, Reporting on Greece
Jenny Mastoraki died on July 30 at the age of 75. She was one of the prominent figures of the poetry generation of the 1970s, with her first poems published in the “Anti-anthology” by Dimitris Iatropoulos in 1971. She was also a major translator, including works by Κarl Marx, Jerome David “J.D.” Salinger, Edmund Keeley, among others. In 2020, Mastoraki was awarded the Grand Prize for Literature by the State Prize Committee for her overall contribution in literature.
In other news, the 7th Summer Bookstall Festival successfully took place on Friday the 19th, Saturday the 20th, and Sunday the 21st of July at Kypseli Municipal Market in the centre of Athens, featuring small and independent publishing houses. The public had the opportunity to buy books and attend discussions about books and literature.
Finally, the book Gaza Writes Back: Short Stories from Young Writers in Gaza, Palestine, edited by the martyr Refaat Alareer, was translated into Greek by Viktoria Lekka, from Editions Alexandria. The book is a collection of short stories from fifteen writers who live in occupied Gaza, having lived their life under Israel’s siege and blockade. Alareer was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on December 6, 2023.
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