{"id":416381,"date":"2026-08-28T11:53:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T14:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=416381"},"modified":"2026-08-28T11:53:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T14:53:46","slug":"book-features-middle-eastern-short-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/book-features-middle-eastern-short-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Book features Middle Eastern short stories"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The Brazilian edition of Stories from the Center of the World<\/em>\u2014New Middle East<\/em> Fiction <\/em>is arriving in bookstores through Cosac<\/a> publisher. The book is a selection of short stories by authors born or living in the Middle East, using fiction to portray the anxieties, loves and challenges of contemporary society. It brings together 25 stories written between 2020 and 2023 for the online magazine The Markaz Review<\/em> and published in book form in 2024, edited by the magazine\u2019s editor, Jordan Elgrably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his introduction to the book, Elgrably briefly traces the region\u2019s history, particularly the division of territories that resulted in the borders known today. He revisits agreements established after World War I (1914\u20131918) and the interpretation of the Middle East by those who defined the region as stretching from the westernmost part of Africa to Asia, with part of its territory bordering the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Book
Book cover: Publication explores diverse themes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Franco-American and Moroccan and himself the author of one of the book\u2019s short stories, Elgrably spoke to ANBA in an email interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe talk about the Arab world, but of course, the Middle East and North Africa make up a vast and complex region, and frequently each country contains a diverse population speaking multiple languages,\u201d he said. \u201cWhile we may sometimes see the Middle East as homogenous, it remains one of the most diverse regions in the world,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Elgrably, even several years after the stories were selected and published, they remain relevant today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe 25 writers in this book all write from personal experience, which guarantees that readers will learn and travel by exploring their stories.,\u201d the editor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book is divided by theme into three sections: \u201cExiles, \u00c9migr\u00e9s, Refugees\u201d, \u201cThe Question of Love\u201d; and \u201cThe Roots of Heaven,\u201d covering topics such as family, heritage, affection, love, immortality, death and displacement. Many of the authors live far from their countries of origin, which caught the editor\u2019s attention. In his introduction, Elgrably says the writers in the book are people \u201cfrom inside and outside\u201d their countries, which also influences their writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the short stories, \u201cThe Cactus\u201d by Muhammad Al-Naas revisits memories of an on-and-off relationship through the narrator\u2019s stream of consciousness. \u201cThe Burden of Inheritance\u201d by Kuwaiti author Mai Al-Nakib, is driven by family drama. Other stories also address departures and arrivals, memories and politics. The stories were translated into Portuguese from four languages: Arabic by Safa Jubran, English by Felipe Benjamin Francisco, Persian by Nicolas Voss, and French by Mar\u00edlia Scalzo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Book details<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hist\u00f3rias do centro do mundo \u2013 Nova fic\u00e7\u00e3o do Oriente M\u00e9dio<\/em>
Edited and introduced by Jordan Elgrably
400 pages
BRL 119,00
Publisher: Cosac<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read also:
Open call for translations of Brazilian books<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong><\/p>\n

Supplied\/Sandrine Arons<\/div>
Supplied<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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