Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World

by Samuel Shimon (Editor), Amin Maalouf (Introduction), Tahar Ben Jelloun (Introduction)

Beirut is the 2009 World Book Capital, as designated by UNESCO, and at the center of the festivities, in collaboration with the world-renowned Hay Festival, is a competition to identify the thirty-nine most promising young talents in Arab literature. The selection of the "Beirut 39" follows the success of a similar competition in the 2007 World Book Capital, Bogotá, celebrating achievements in Latin American literature.

This year, for the first time, the winners--nominated by publishers, literary critics, and readers across the Arab world and internationally, and selected by a panel of eminent Arab writers, academics, and journalists--will be published together in a one-of-a-kind anthology. Edited by Samuel Shimon of Banipal magazine, the collection will be published simultaneously in Arabic and English throughout the world by Bloomsbury and Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing.

Beirut 39 provides an important look at the Arab-speaking world today, through the eyes of thirty-nine of its brightest young literary stars.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Middle East, Lebanon, Anthologies, Africa, Literature

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Kaion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am essentially completely ignorant about “Arab literature", so I was very excited to delve right into Beirut 39. What a better way to be introduced than through thirty-nine contemporary viewpoints, I thought… Surely an impression along the edges will begin to form in my mind of a whole.

The first impression that becomes incredibly obvious very quickly (if you choose to skip the introduction) is that the “promising young talents” represented were chosen as individuals, and not via specific writing selection. This probably benefits the quality of writer’s list, but the quality of this anthology seems to suffer as a result. The selections, varying from 3-13 pages long, comprise of short stories, poems, and passages from novels-- but oddly few segments seem designed for any impact within that short length. I think the famous six-word-story exercise is plenty of proof that short word count is no excuse for lack of interest, and consequently I was very disappointed by how many of the selections seemed like half-thoughts. Ultimately long sections of the anthology felt uniformly (a difficult task indeed with so many writers) like a sad little notebook of writing exercises.

The ones that managed to stick out of the forgettable crowd:

1) Contrary teenager Adaf is able to find some respite “At the Post Office” (Adania Shibli) when she takes over operation from her lazy, collaborator dad.
2) “Who Are You Carrying That Rose For?” (Islam Samhan) is a poem that plunks right down into the mind-state of warzone Gaza.
3) A man is overwhelmed by memories upon a phone call from an old servant, “Haneef from Glasgow” (Mohammed Hassan Alwan).
4) “Coexistence” (Ala Hlehel) is a blackly wry look at a man sick of the insipid conversations that follow bombings in Haifa.
5) Najwan Darwish’s “Six Poems” juggles object and metaphor, statement and observation.
6) A man is haunted into accepting his absurd fate as the latest incarnation of a “God’s Anointed Ruler”/inspired madman/tyrant in “Suicide 20” (Youssef Rakha).

Overall, not a horrible waste of time or anything, but I suspect well-established writers don't need this dubious honor. Rating: 2.5/5

**This review is of the advanced reading copy I received from Goodreads.

[Huda m · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure if these 39 writings were a good reflection of the culture and life in Arab societies..

I have to admit that some were amazingly written and they've surprised me, but most of the writings were in my opinion trying too hard to satisfy the western taste in literature.

Another thing I've noticed is that there was so much sexuality in the content that we don't see often in our censored bookstores here. But does this mean that because you finally can write in that manner you should when it isn't relevant at all and doesn't add to the literary experience?

Some of the subjects were really not your everyday story in the middle-east. Why shed the light on rare incidents or people instead of trying to really give a holistic view of the Arab culture? No authenticity whatsoever was present in some writings.

If this publication is about giving the world the taste of young Arabs mindset maybe it had some good points. But culture? I don't think it succeeded.

[diarhafsari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before reading, I was sort of 'afraid' that this book would portray Arab people that go against their culture and heritage, let alone their own religion teachings. I mean, most Arab- (and other parts of Asia-) related books I have read showed said issues as the main premise.

It turned out that some of the stories in this book of collections of short stories, novel extracts, and poetry gave readers those issues mentioned above. To be honest, a few of the portrayals made me uncomfortable. Maybe because I'm not that 'progressive' enough to read stories (eventhough only fiction) about my fellow people from the same religion who are 'rebellious'?

Nevertheless, a few other stories in the book are unique in premises and scream 'not-Arab', so readers can see fresh portrayal other than stereotype Arab cultures.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads. I’m trying to read more translations and my hope for this book was to familiarize myself with writing from the Arab world. Several of the selections stood out. I especially enjoyed Hussein al Abri’s selection from the novel The Last Hanging Poem, with its unsettling juxtaposition of everyday life and routine hangings from a bridge; The Story of My Building, from Randa Jarrar which shows the impact of a bombing in Gaza from a 10 year old’s view; the selection from Abdelkader Benali’s The Trip to the Slaughterhouse, a coming of age story universal to all cultures; and the selection from Abdelaziz Errachidi’s Bedoins on the Edge. I look forward to seeing what these authors come up with next.

[Hani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writers do reflect some aspect of the Arabs culture, however should not be taken as a reference. I would be definitely keeping an eye on some of these Arab writers.

I have not read the poems in this book as I found a poem always looses it essence and beauty once translated. This is why I gave it a 3 stars instead of 4 stars.

[ManOfLaBook.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Beirut 39” is a collection of stories and poems, edited by Samuel Shimon. The collection is the product of a literary competition in the Arab world, young authors and poets, all under 40 years of age, competed in a contest sponsored by, among others, Banipal magazine in the Hay festival. The best 39 short stories, poems and novel parts were published.

The stories and poems touch on many varied subjects, politics, sexuality and culture. The selections are as individual as the authors and tell such tales as the wife of a Damascus man who is measuring, for good or bad, her various lovers; or the man who hides his gay identity from his mother while watching a movie about the subject on satellite, hoping she wouldn’t wake up.


There were two standout stories I thought, in this book which were a cut above the rest: "The Twentieth [9/11:] Terrorist" by Abdullah Thabit and the straight-to-the-point “Coexistence” by Ala Hlehel. Both stories were told from a very believable and vivid point of view which I found refreshing as well as enlightening on an intellectual level. "The Twentieth [9/11:] Terrorist” tells of the harsh system of education in religious schools, how a young boy could get sucked into such an education - against the wishes of his parents - and he is literally beaten into submission and submits to a life of misery. “Coexistence” is the ironic story of a Palestinian-Israeli writer who scribes a letter to a Palestinian general (in the words of the author) begging to stop bombing attacks in the Israeli port city of Haifa; a city which is ofen portrayed as a model of Arabs and Jews sharing the same piece of land. However, the writer’s motives are selfish, because of the writer’s high profile in the Haifa; journalists are calling for comments for their stories – and that is a bother.


“Beirut 39” has to be read slowly, I felt, as the Arab language is spoken, with emphasis on certain words and phrases. The book’s topics jump greatly, from sad war stories to joyous self discovery and the fast reader might find himself or herself confused. The pieces in this book are diverse and wide ranging; the collection is complex and challenges the mind and ranges from traditional to modern.

Some of the stories are excellent and I can only imagine that are much better in the original Arabic, some I thought were not as good. I found the “short stories” which are simply extracts from longer novels to be disruptive and not as moving as the short stories themselves. The rhythm of the book is a bit of a challenge, maybe because the translations of each piece was done by a different person (mostly), some excellent and others simply good, is why the book doesn’t seem to flow – but that’s OK since it is a collection of stories and is not meant to be read in a marathon session.


This book certainly isn’t for everyone. If you like to try new topics, new writers or new cultures you could learn a lot.

I chose to give the book 4 stars as an average - a collection like this cannot really be given a blanket rating.

For more reviews to to http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

[Hillary Major · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beirut 39 gives a tasting menu of contemporary Arab writing, with selections from 39 writers under age 39, from Syria to Sudan, Iraq to the U.S. These are twenty-first century writers who, whether exploring tradition or rebelling against it, write with passion.

Because the prose selections are short, they often give the impression of vignettes rather than satisfying, complete works. The anthology provides huge diversity, although many of the prose selections seem to draw on a postmodern Kafkaesque sensibility (sometimes surrealist or absurdist), including the tales of an official obsessed by reports of empty nooses being left around the city; a civil servant compelled to commit a crime, any crime; and a modern-day Baghdadi Frankenstein. (Although a helpful notes section explains references that may be unfamiliar to American readers, there were some times when I wondered whether my confusion was part of an author's design or due to a lack of cultural context.) Prose standouts were Abdelkader Benali, whose excerpt "Trip to the Slaughterhouse" left me wanting more, and Yassin Adnan, whose two short-short stories are complex character sketches.

Poets perhaps fare better than prose writers, as most are able to include several complete poems. Again, there's a wide range of style and tone. Selections from Ahmad Yamani's The Utopia of Cemetaries are eerily chilling, while the affirmations Joumana Haddad's "The Geology of the I" approach the shamanic. Three poems by Bassim Al Ansar include "A Panorama of Wonder," which begins:

Ah!
Boys peek at windows through holes in the day
and men lick fortune-tellers' palms.
Ah!
The soldiers eat their rifles
and street vendors bear stars above their carts. (p. 71)

Thanks to the Hay Festival for sponsoring this varied collection!

[Kamilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I try to vary my reading to include books from cultures and countries different from my own. There is far to little foreign literature taught in American schools (at least the ones I went/am going to), and typically, reading a book from an Asian or South American country is a breath of fresh air. I liked that this collection contained several forms of writing instead of just short stories.

I always go into books that have been translated with caution: it’s impossible to tell just how much of the author’s voice is lost in the transition between languages. Setting that aside, some of the stories in this anthology moved with the effortlessness gained with beautiful language, while others clunked along with awkward breaks and odd rhythms. I’d say that around 2/3rds of the stories in this collection were well worth a read, giving the audience a taste of the author’s chosen culture with what felt like relatively little bias and no need to include shock factors or a “Oh, look how different this culture is from yours” mentality. I respect authors who can tell a story vibrant with life while invisibly and seamlessly integrating their impressions and experiences with a good tale. My favorite pieces were “At the Post Office”, “The Pools and the Piano”, and “The Path to Madness”. I look forward to reading more from several of the authors included in this collection.

3 1/2 Stars.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program. It is a collection of short stories, poems, and excerpts from longer works, and like most such compilations, I found it a little bit of a mixed bag. Each piece had a different translator, and overall, the translation work was good. The rhythms of a different language came through without being awkward.

I really enjoyed the different rhythm given by the Arabic origin of the work. Coming from all over the Arab world, the pieces gave great insights into daily life in a broad spectrum of places and cultures. A few pieces, such as Abdelkader Benali's "The Trip to the Slaughterhouse," are actually set amongst Arabs living abroad, but the places of origin still sing through.

I wish some of the excerpts had been longer. Some seemed too brief, and really made me wonder where they were going. Ahmad Saadawi's "Frankenstein in Baghdad" was a particularly haunting look at the psychology of war-torn Iraq, centering on a protaganist compulsively making his own Frankenstein's Monster out of the body parts of bombing victims.

While I didn't find all of the pieces compelling, overall I found the book well worth reading as a look inside the art and a little bit of the daily life in Palestine and Morocco, Lebanon and Egypt, Iraq and Yemen.

[Ljuneosborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't know if this encompasses the feeling of most modern Arab literature, but it certainly makes me want to find and read more. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and excerpts from novels by 39 different authors under 40 years of age.

The themes of the writings range from modern to traditional, from joyous to sadness, and from times of peace to devastating accounts of war. These mixtures make this book fun to read and engaging, though with these dramatic changes a reader might want to take a moment in between the short pieces to keep themselves from being confused. My most favorite story, also the one that will probably stick in my head the longest, is "The Path to Madness" by Mansoura Ez Eldin, though there are several others in close second. There wasn't any piece that I didn't find something to like about, though some are more memorable than others.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to try something new or is interested in modern writing. There's also a lot to learn about Arab culture in here!

[Catherine Siemann · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's taken me awhile to get around to reviewing this book, largely because while I was interested in the notion of an anthology of Arab writing, the work failed to draw me in. There are 39 pieces in this book, fiction and poetry, winners of a competition for writers under 40. Some of it may have to do with the brevity of the pieces (39 works in less than 300 pages); few narratives have the opportunity for significant development, and several novel excerpts that might have drawn me to read more are for books that haven't been translated as a whole. I did find several stories particularly memorable: Mohammad Hassan Alwan's "Haneef from Glasgow", Randa Jarrar's "The Story of My Building", and the excerpt from Hamdy el Gazaar's novel Secret Pleasures. An intriguing notion for an anthology, but I enjoyed the concept of the book more than I enjoyed the majority of the reading.

I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book well enough, I suppose. Unfortunately Beirut 39 attempts to do too much with too little space. Few of the prose entries, many of them chapters from larger works, are able to build up a solid narrative over the limited page account. There are a couple, which do well, but it's pretty average overall.

The poetry fares better and provides some striking imagery, especially when read aloud. However, one gets the sense something is lost in translation and that it would sound even better in the original language.

Ultimately, I wouldn't recommend this book to a someone who wasn't curious about Arab literature in general, but those who are already curious might enjoy it.

[Ferris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting collection of short stories, novel excerpts, and poetry by young authors from all over the Arab World. Some of the pieces are definitely better written than others, but it is a good read. For me, it provided a peephole into the lives of Arabs born in the 70s, their experiences, and their feelings about themselves and the world they live in. The various works cover such topics as religion, fanaticism, faith, beauty, love, family, the soul.....you name it, it is in here. The overall tone seemed plaintive to me, and that was wearing to read....I think it is most appreciated if a little time passes between the reading of each story.

[Dwight Penas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is fascinating stuff -- short-ish works in various genres, almost all (if not all) originally published in Arabic. There are extracts from novels, short stories, poems. I don't claim to like or even to "get" some of the stuff (no surprise there). But the only qualm I have is typical of my reading of any work in translation: How does one gauge a work without knowing whether the translation does the original justice? Ultimately I have only the work in front of me -- thumbs up or thumbs down. But I have a slight fear of unjustly judging the original author.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say it, but I was pretty disappointed in this anthology of short stories by young Middle Eastern writers. There were a few gems in there--At the Post Office, Mimouna, The Path to Madness, The Pools and the Piano, Yassin Adnan's Two Stories; but by and large I found the stories tedious going. On several stories, it seemed more like they might have been chosen for dealing with "edgy" or taboo subject matter (adultery, homosexuality, botched circumcisions, etc), rather than from literary merit.
A first reads book.

[daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy via the First Reads program.

I love the concept of this book — highlighting young, talented authors from a region. I really appreciate the wide diversity of voices represented here. Several of the stories and poems were deeply moving and eye-opening.

Each contribution has a different translator, and I feel like a fair amount of the power of some of these pieces was weakened by poor translations, where it was functional, but just not quite natural, conversational English.

[Bloomsbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection includes several Egyptians writers including Randa Jarrar, Mansoura Ez Eldin, Ahmad Yamani, Nagat Ali, Mansoura Ez Eldin, Mohammad Salah al Azab, and Youssef Rakha.

Dave Eggers said “This collection was a really necessary undertaking, and Samuel Shimon did a great job of sourcing and curating these poems, stories and excerpts from novels. There's a kind of renaissance taking place, it seems, among young Arab writers from the Middle East, North Africa the U.S. and Europe. It comes at a good time, too. We need their voices more than ever before.”

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a nice mix of poems, short stories, and pieces of novels. They touched on a wide range of topics. It was interesting to read from the Arabic authors and get a look into another culture. I enjoy reading books about other countries and cultures and this was great because so many different authors and their way of writing all in one book. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to choose only 39. Thank you goodreads I was one of the winners of a free copy.

[Rotten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just starting this one. This group of short stories is very well selected. As I'm not Middle Eastern I'm interested in the different culture/viewpoints. So far the writing is excellent, the short stories drawn from many entries seem well chosen. So far there has not been one to start the usual reaction to short story collections of "I'll skip this one, the next one'll be better" but .... I'm not done yet.

Find it at your local Independent bookstore 8-)

[Juliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this over many months, which is how I prefer to read collections of short stories or poetry. I haven't read much other Arab literature, but I ...moreI read this over many months, which is how I prefer to read collections of short stories or poetry. I haven't read much other Arab literature, but I am intrigued and now have many leads. Some stories were better than others, naturally, but certainly worth the read and recommended. I received this through first reads- Thanks!

[Andrew Heiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great anthology—most entries were good, although I questioned the merit of a few.

The highlights for me:
* Abdelaziz Errachidi
* Abdelkader Benali
* Abdullah Thabit
* Adania Shibli
* Ala Hlehel
* Islam Samhan
* Joumana Haddad
* Kamel Riahi
* Mansoura Ez Eldin (her stuff is always great)
* Mohammed Hassan Alwan
* Mohammed Salah al Azab
* Rabee Jaber (most excellent)
* Randa Jarrar (great, as always)
* Rosa Yassin Hassan
* Youssef Rakha

[Elaine Torrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads First Reads. It definitely was reading out of my comfort zone. Like any compilation book, it had stories and poems that resonated with me more than others. I especially enjoyed "A Trip to the Slaughterhouse" and "Who Are You Carrying That Rose For". It took me quite awhile to get through but I think it was because I had to reread several some passages several times. I would be interested to know more about each author especially as to gender.

[Rick Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much angst from authors who are young in a society where age has an authority all its own. The cultural mindset to remain with family was reflected as both a curse (loss of opportunity) and a blessing (a chance to be heroic to one's kin). I would say that only about a quarter of the essays really captured my fancy so that I had to complete them in one reading.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads - First Reads. This collection of work from young Arab writers is well worth reading. The writing is beautiful and the topics are varied. The excerpts from longer publications made me want to read the entire book. Intriguing voices with insight into parts of the Arab culture. I highly recommend this interesting collection of writing.

[Mistypane611 · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you might expect from a collection I thought some were brilliant some so-so and skipped over a couple. Overall a really interesting collection of different styles, well worth dipping into. The main stand-outs for me were the two stories by Yassin Adnan and the extract from Joumana Haddad's the Geology of the I.

[Marcy Strahan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found Beirut unsettling! Being a feminist myself, I was often angered by the book! 80% of this book is written by men who regard women as property & less important than a dog!
No matter what moments of insight the stories delivered, they were sullied by the male chauvist undertones.

[Diane]

I was impressed with the subjects tackled by the individual authors, but I had a difficult time pushing myself to finish reading the book. It is not a book that you can't put down, but it is of value for learning more about the Arab culture.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection. Some of the stories were brilliant, while others were pretty arduous to get through. I'm also not a huge poetry fan. All in all a good read and I think I'd like to read some of the novels from which many of the excerpts were taken.

[Kristen]

My 5th first-reads . . . the the 1st one I'm even slightly looking forward to.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read with Arab authors. It's so interesting.