Gaza Writes Backis a compelling anthology of short stories from fifteen young writers in Gaza, members of a generation that has suffered immensely under Israel's siege and blockade. Their experiences, especially during and following Israel's 2008-2009 offensive known as "Operation Cast Lead", have fundamentally impacted their lives and their writing. Their words take us into the homes and hearts of moms, dads, students, children, and elders striving to live lives of dignity, compassion, and meaning in one of the world's most embattled communities. Readers will be moved by the struggles big and small that emerge from the well-crafted writing by these young people, and by the hope and courage that radiate from the authors' biographies.
About the Author :
Refaat Alareer is the co-editor of Gaza Unsilenced (2015) and the editor of Gaza Writes Back (2014). A native of Gaza City, he received his M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University College of London (UK) and is currently completing his Ph.D. in English Literature at the Universiti Putra Malaysia. Since 2007, he has taught world literature, comparative literature, and creative writing (fiction and non-fiction) at the Islamic University of Gaza.
Review :
"In a land where hope is the most precious commodity passed down through the generations, these stories provide a tangible platform for silenced voices to be heard and means towards gaining some dignity for a wounded nation."
--Ramzy Baroud, author of My Father was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story
"These are intimate tales of devastation--sharp as a knife and unforgettable. Families, playmates, or the writers themselves, are maimed or killed in a flash by Israeli firepower, but this new generation is writing as a form of resistance."
--Victoria Brittain, author of Shadow Lives: The Forgotten Women of the War on Terror
"Where Israel's siege has sought to erase Gaza from our consciences and silence its people, these brilliant, fresh writers burst forth with stories rooted in their real-life experiences and elevated by limitless imagination. This exciting book is a must-read for everyone who wants to hear Palestinians speak in their own voices."
--Ali Abunimah, founder of Electronic Intifada and author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse
"The raw humanity, tenderness, and defiance in this collection of short stories by young Palestinians in Gaza stands as a testament to the resilience, moral fortitude, and beauty of oppressed and violated people everywhere. The writers are barely in their twenties and though their lives echo of bombs, bullets, and Israel's intentional programs to dismantle them, their stories teach us what it means to have an unconquered spirit and unbroken will. These are the next generation of Palestinian writers and intellectuals. We should all nurture their voices, lift them up, and read their stories then pass them on."
--Susan Abulhawa, author of My Voice Sought the Wind and Mornings in Jenin
"These Gaza short stories should be required reading for all because they create awareness and awareness leads to understanding and understanding leads to change."
--Michelle Cohen Corasanti, author of The Almond Tree
"This collection of marvellous first-hand stories expresses as only good literature can the feel of life and death in Gaza. Here are moving, poignant snapshots of real experience which will haunt and fascinate the reader with their eloquence. It is time that Gazans spoke out against their dehumanisation and the world heard them. Essential reading to understand what has been done to Gaza and how its brave people remain unbowed."
--Dr. Ghada Karmi, author of In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story
"This volume of short stories marks the fifth anniversary of the infamous 2008-9 Israeli attack on Gaza, 'Operation Cast Lead.' Our familiarity with what happened then does not lessen the power of the cruel lines etched into their writers' memories, nor disguise their need to write and thus master the terrible realities of Palestinian life. For anyone who values the raw voice of human experience over the rarefied refinements of professional writing, these short stories will come as a shock. Instead of the sanitized and heartless statistics of the toll taken by those weeks, or the impersonal photographs and official reports that record the brutal attack and the occupation, we have lightly fictionalized intimate, personal accounts of the lived experiences. Though death, illness and horrific violence stalk every page, the stories and their writers shine through as strong, truthful, and sometimes even cheerful or romantic. Always, however, they clearly represent an unspoken determination to resist the violence, and a brave resolve not to surrender to despair."
--Jean Said Makdisi, author of Beirut Fragments: A Wa
