- “Why has this ‘conflict’ lasted for so long, who can stop it, and how?”

  

- Ignorance, the people, and by popular resistance and a refusal to remain silent were the first answers that came to mind. I sincerely believe that what is happening in Palestine would never have lasted this long if the public were properly informed about what had been really taking place in this part of the Middle East. 

Frank Barat, London, July 2010. On the ghettoization of Palestine and the crimes of Israel and the US.

Fiction can reveal truths that are difficult to face directly. That’s the case with Gaza Writes Back, Refaat Alareer’s stunning and sobering collection of short fiction by young-adult Palestinian writers. The twenty-three pieces in this collection offer fictional yet hyperreal experiences during the Gaza War, also known as the Cast Lead Operation. While no two stories are exactly the same, they all carry a palpable sense of urgency and expose a violent, terroristic world that few of us have seen so clearly before.

 

Alareer, a literature and creative-writing professor at the Islamic University-Gaza, has selected these stories as much for their unique voice as for the particular place and time they illuminate. All are originally written in English, though their authors’ first language is Arabic. This allows a “much-needed Palestinian youth narrative without the mediation or influences of translation or of non-Palestinian voices,” writes Alareer in his introductory notes.

 

The pieces themselves are short. A few entries are only three pages long. The spare format reflects the urgency of day-to-day life during the Gaza War, when one bomb blast could change a family’s fate in a second. There’s no time to explain it all, so we drop into people’s lives mid-flow and experience the disruptions of war along with them. One minute, a child watches a football match in the street, and the next all he can see is smoke, blood, and his neighbors running for shelter.

 

The writers are a talented lot, most of them current or former graduate students who worked with Alareer. But the editor’s own contributions rise above the other slice-of-life vignettes to become thought-provoking, allegorical lessons in human nature. In “House,” for instance, we are privy to a twisted psychological power struggle between the occupiers and the occupied. Similarly, in “The Old Man and the Stone,” Alareer uses symbols to show the strengths and weaknesses of knowledge, innocence, and faith. These more complex pieces stand out as stories you will want to read again, to yourself and to others.

 

Gaza Writes Back is not an easy book to read, but it effectively shines light on the effects of war on the civilians caught in the crossfire. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of Middle East politics and the mind-set of the latest generation to live amidst the ongoing struggles there.

 

Sheila M. Trask for Foreword Magazine
February 27, 2014

First off, I must disclose I won this on First Reads. That being said...Second, I have had the opportunity to read several memoirs in this past month. Most have been excellent..a couple, not so! Abuelaish's, though, is the most poignant. This book is up-lifting and heart-wrenching at the same time. In looking at the Isreal-Palestine(Gaza Strip) issue, we are always informed and/or taught the history of the yet,at least for me, I have never seen it personalized. I think another part that totally blew me away was Abuelaish's ability to not point fingers or place blame...He held both countries (and certain citizens) accountable. That was a real concern for me coming into the book. I think the other thing that this book "taught" me is perspective. What I think is horrible in regards to bad things going in my life, I need to keep in perspective for there are others who have had to survive much bigger losses, such as the loss of 3 beautiful daughters, in there own. Simply an amazing, amazing man! DO NOT SKIP OVER THE fOREWARD (as I usually do)..it is a critical part to the book and understanding the character of Dr. Abuelaish.Third, this book is a short read..literarally it is 258 pages, I believe. I read it in one sitting. But totally engrossing. Finally, thank you to Dr. Abuelaish and to Bloomsbury books for allowing me to win this book. This was either my second or third try to win it and I was getting ready to order it from the library. This book is def. one for pause for thought.

Roman de idei, foarte concentrat dpdv intelectual, nu foarte lejer pentru neuronii mei. Nu e greu, dar nu e totusi o lectura de vacanta, ca sa zic asa. Motiv pentru care am luat si retetele Babettei pe linga, ca suport :)
Ma bucur ca nu i-am dat pace si m-am tot caznit cu el, putin cite putin. Ceea ce a fost foarte bine, pentru ca finalul, sa zicem ultimele 150 de pagini, dupa ce m-am prins eu cum sta toata treaba, a fost excelent.

Pe linga faptul ca e asa mai intelectuala de felul ei, cartea e scrisa sub forma unui puzzle. Cele 50 si ceva de capitole se intind pe vreo 30 de ani, dar din fericire se concentreaza pe citeva evenimente (disparate) mai importante, iar cititorul nu are decit sa faca legaturile de rigoare pentru a stabili continuitatea. Si odata ce te obisnuiesti cu stilul, povestea e intr-adevar captivanta. Cum spuneam, pe mine m-a prins mai mult in partea a doua, cind deja am reusit sa fac multe dintre legaturi.

Romanul se concentreaza pe viata lui Anthony Beavis si a cercului sau de prieteni din scoala generala, trecuti prin Eton si apoi Oxford, deci intelectuali din stratul superior al societatii: Brian, Hugh,Mark. In plus, Mary Amberley, care devine la un moment dat un soi de marchiza de Merteuil si din jocurile si pariurile careia se naste unul dintre cele mai dramatice momente ale romanului - sinuciderea lui Brian. Dramatic e si destinul ei, pentru ca dintr-o doamna sofisticata ajunge o mizerabila dependenta de morfina. Fiica ei, Helen, cu care Anthony are o relatie esuata, e unul din personajele cele mai interesante si consistente.
Am un singur regret, ca nu am citit-o in engleza; tatal lui Anthony e lingvist si face tot timpul jocuri de cuvinte amuzante, unele dificil sau imposibil de tradus, imi dau seama.

Cartea e in pregatire la Polirom, ceea ce e bine, editia pe care eu o am, cumparata de la anticariat, e aparuta in ’74, iar de atunci nu cred sa se mai fi republicat la noi.