Review
The Jewish-Arab Novelist
The novelist Sami Michael died last year aged 97. Born and raised in Baghdad, he introduced characters previously marginalized or omitted in Hebrew literature: immigrants, Mizrahim, women and especially Arabs. His portrayals are sympathetic but unsparing, and his writing tackled issues central to Israeli society that were previously cloaked in silence.
Politics in Prose
In recent years, several contemporary Indian novelists have written in direct response to ongoing sociopolitical changes in India and painted an intricate picture of what it means to be young and disenchanted in a deeply polarized country.
One Hundred Years of Betrayal
The debate surrounding the Netflix adaptation of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” provides an opportunity to appreciate the novel’s artistry, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s insights into the art of fiction, and the troubled path of his legacy over the decade since his death.
The Role of Thanksgiving in America’s Movies
Hollywood portrayals of Thanksgiving make it not only a symbol of shared identity but also a tracker of American cultural evolution, from postwar triumphalism to the fraying of social bonds and the decline of optimism in the 1990s.
The Lives of Gulf Migrants in Malayalam Literature
When the novel “Goat Days” was published in 2008, it set a new tone for writing in Malayalam on the Gulf, partly by casting an Arab as a villain. Since then, many stories have followed its template.
Between Ta-Nehisi Coates and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates has built a distinctive public voice by combining moral clarity and self-reflection and consistently centering humanity throughout his writing. His latest book, “The Message,” expands his view to take in Israel and Palestine, and cuts to the heart of the conflict.
Gazan Poets Write To Survive
Writers in Gaza today, threatened by relentless bombardment and displacement and forced to focus their attention on the small details of survival, have been leaning on language to document, communicate and seek refuge from the brutal war that has now entered its second year.