Ever think of running away from mundane existence to join the circus? Imagine if, one day, after watching the circus, the circus director comes over to recruit you for an unusual role in the spectacle and pageantry you have just witnessed. This is what happens in Jurj Salem’s “At the Circus” from our Winter 2025 issue, a witty short story filled with dry humor that gently questions what we hold to be reality. Join Podcast Editor Vincent Hostak for a fascinating conversation with its translator Samuel Bollier for an entrypoint into Salem’s surreal fictional universe, as well as the broader challenges of translating Arabic fiction into English.
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