Stories From the Center of the World
New Middle East Fiction
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One of The Millions Most Anticipated Books & a Powell's Bookstore Staff Favorite of the Year!
Short stories from 25 emerging and established writers of Middle Eastern and North African origins, a unique collection of voices and viewpoints that illuminate life in the global Arab/Muslim world.
"Provocative and subtle, nuanced and surprising, these stories demonstrate how this complicated and rich region might best be approached--through the power of literature."--Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Committed
Stories from the Center of the World gathers new writing from the greater Middle East (or SWANA), a vast region that stretches from Southwest Asia, through the Middle East and Turkey, and across Northern Africa. The 25 authors included here come from a wide range of cultures and countries, including Palestine, Syria, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, and Morocco, to name some.
In "Asha and Haaji," Hanif Kureishi takes up the cause of outsiders who become uprooted when war or disaster strikes and they flee for safe haven. In Nektaria Anastasiadou's "The Location of the Soul According to Benyamin Alhadeff," two students in Istanbul from different classes -- and religions that have often been at odds with one another -- believe they can overcome all obstacles. MK Harb's story, "Counter Strike," is about queer love among Beiruti adolescents; and Salar Abdoh's "The Long Walk of the Martyrs" invites us into the world of former militants, fighters who fought ISIS or Daesh in Iraq and Syria, who are having a hard time readjusting to civilian life. In "Eleazar," Karim Kattan tells an unexpected Palestinian story in which the usual antagonists -- Israeli occupation forces -- are mostly absent, while another malevolent force seems to overtake an unsuspecting family. Omar El Akkad's "The Icarist" is a coming-of-age story about the underworld in which illegal immigrants are forced to live, and what happens when one dares to break away.
Contributors include: Salar Abdoh, Leila Aboulela, Farah Ahamed, Omar El Akkad, Sarah AlKahly-Mills, Nektaria Anastasiadou, Amany Kamal Eldin, Jordan Elgrably, Omar Foda, May Haddad, Danial Haghighi, Malu Halasa, MK Harb, Alireza Iranmehr, Karim Kattan, Hanif Kureishi, Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi, Diary Marif, Tariq Mehmood, Sahar Mustafah, Mohammed Al-Naas, Ahmed Naji, Mai Al-Nakib, Abdellah Taia, and Natasha Tynes
About this Author
Jordan Elgrably is a Franco-American and Moroccan writer, editor and translator, whose stories and creative nonfiction have appeared in numerous anthologies and reviews, including Apulée, Salmagundi, and The Paris Review. He is the editor of Stories from the Center of the World: New Middle East Fiction (City Lights, 2024) and co-editor with Malu Halasa of Sumud: A New Palestinian Reader (Seven Stories Press, 2024). He is the editor-in-chief of The Markaz Review, and is based in Montpellier, France and California.
Hanif Kureishi is the author of The Buddha of Suburbia, Intimacy, Love in a Blue Time, and the screenplay My Beautiful Laundrette, among many other works. He lives in London.
Omar El Akkad is the author of the novels American War and What Strange Paradise. Born in Egypt, he spent his youth in the Gulf, then moved to Canada, and now lives in Oregon.
Salar Abdoh is the author of the novels Poet Game, Opium, Tehran At Twilight, Out of Mesopotamia, and A Nearby Country Called Love, and is the editor and translator of the anthology Tehran Noir. He's based in New York.
Sudanese-born Leila Aboulela is the author of two short story collections and six novels, including The New York Times Editor's Choice River Spirit. She's based in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Malu Halasa is a Jordanian-Filipina American author of the novel Mother of All Pigs, and the non-fiction anthologies, Woman Life Freedom, Voices and Art from the Women's Protests in Iran, Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline, Transit Tehran: Young Iran and Its Inspirations, with Maziar Bahari, and The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie: Intimacy and Design, with Rana Salam. Halasa is the Literary Editor of The Markaz Review, and is based in London.
Sahar Mustafah's first novel The Beauty of Your Face was named a Notable Book and Editor's Choice by The New York Times Book Review, and included in Marie Claire Magazine's Best Fiction by Women. It was long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and was a finalist for the Palestine Book Awards. She was awarded a 2023 Jack Hazard Fellowship from the New Literary Project and a literature grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Mustafah is a native Chicagoan and currently resides in Orland Park, IL.
Reviews
"A lively and diverse set of tales from a complex region."--Kirkus Reviews
"A deeply satisfying collection showcasing an array of brilliant writers who deserve to be better known. . . . Whether personifying the chaos of the Israeli occupation of Palestine as actual madness or poking fun at the remnants of British colonialism in Egypt, many of the stories confound common stereotypes about the region."--Booklist, Starred Review
"A truly ambitious mix of established and emerging literary stars from a region of the world too often viewed through the lens of religion and politics. The stories collected by Elgrably reflect almost every corner of the mosaic that is the modern Middle East, giving practically everyone a voice and serving as a reminder of our common humanity. A timely and necessary collection for anyone who loves good stories." --Reza Aslan, author of An American Martyr in Persia
"Many in America hold onto broad, centuries-old misunderstandings of Arab and Muslim life and politics that continue to harm, through both policy and rhetoric, a perpetually embattled and endangered region. With luck, these 25 tales by writers of Middle Eastern and North African origin might open hearts and minds alike."--The Millions
"From students in Istanbul grappling with one another's differing faiths to former ISIS-fighting combatants coping with PTSD, the narratives here illuminate the heartbreak, rage, and hopes of people from a vastly misread region of the world."--Alta Magazine
"Iconoclastic, intimate and powerful, this ample collection gathers unforgettable short stories from just-emerging diasporic writers as well as the region's stars, covering a wide range of experiences from Edward Said's 'exiles, emigrés and refugees.' A balm for our time, when much of what the world hears about the Middle East has to do with numbers and political ideologies. In this collection, we hear intelligent, distinctive voices, expressing joy, humor, pain and irony in stories about love, exodus, renewal and assimilation." --Mona Simpson, author of Commitment
" . . . the anthology fulfills Elgrably's stated vision of creating 'a collective orchestra of voices and . . . the beginning of an east-west conversation.' The highlights alone are worth the price of admission."--Publishers Weekly
"This volume is loaded with two dozen stories of exile, love, and magical realism. The characters that populate them are a patchwork of ethnic identities, as it is the case in the 'center of the world'. What is impressive about this collection is how culturally informed and varied it is. . . . I highly recommend that readers of this rich anthology take time to rinse their palate between each story."--Zein El-Amine, author of Is This How You Eat a Watermelon?
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