N.S. Ahmed (@NSAhmed99) / X

N.S. Ahmed

4,414 posts

N.S. Ahmed

@NSAhmed99

Son of Egyptian immigrants/ Brooklynite writer/ Artifact of the world / TEDx Speaker / 2022 @peripluscollect fellow / Hertog Fellow @Hunter_College Fiction MFA

New York/Cairo

Joined November 2021

Pinned
N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
For those of us who are writers and readers, I noticed that a lot of folks aren't familiar with the rich canon of Palestinian literature and don't know where to begin reading. In response to this, down below is a thread of novels, non-fiction, and poetry about Palestine (🧵):
1.9M
N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
Replying to @NSAhmed99
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (1): Many of you may already be familiar with this novel because of the Frankfurt Book Fair fiasco, but beyond that, it is a hybrid of a true event and a fictional account that illuminates a dark period in Palestinian history. It's heavy, but pivotal
102K
N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
Replying to @NSAhmed99
The Question of Palestine by Edward Said (3): any of Edward Said's work I can easily recommend (re. Orientalism), but I mention this book because it truly is provocative and renders a timeline of events (in Palestine & the Middle East) through precision & effective scholarship.
48K
N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
Replying to @NSAhmed99
The Parisian by Isabella Hammad (2): this book has been one of my favorites in recent years due to the textured prose, the journey of the Midhat, its confrontation of colonialism, the strive for independence, & its adeptness of being a work of historical fiction. Read it read it.
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N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
Replying to @NSAhmed99
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan (4): firstly, read read read Hala Alyan's poetry, they are timely and are truly a beautiful and necessary read. Salt Houses also contains poetic quality, and it is a novel that details the Yacoub family through pivotal moments in Palestinian history.
39K
N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
Replying to @NSAhmed99
My First and Only Love by Sahar Khalifeh (5): this novel deals with the reverberations of the 1948 Nakba and its effects on Nidal and her family. The story is one of upbringing, of love, of emotion, of desire, of struggle, of complication, of secret histories, and of urgency.
33K
N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Dec 31, 2023
Over the past months or so, I began familairizing myself with the poetry, nonfiction, and fiction from and/or related to Sudan, and seeing how Sudan isn't talked about too often within the public space, here is a thread on Sudanese literature for those wanting to read more (🧵):
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N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
Replying to @NSAhmed99
The Butterfly's Burden by Mahmoud Darwish (9): this is an olio of poetry containing 3 books that deal with life (and horrors) in Ramallah, love poems that speak towards the lyrical, and a deep longing for a Palestine before the occupation. Everything in it converses with the now.
30K
N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
Replying to @NSAhmed99
I Saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti (7): this autobiography details when Barghouti went to Cairo for higher studies before trying to reenter Palestine and learning that he was exiled (which lasted 30 years). It is a powerful account that directly confronts displacement and return.
26K
N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Apr 10, 2024
Y'all, there is a surge of authors withdrawing their books from considerations from PEN related awards due to their dangerous rhetoric on Palestine, if you come across anyone who has done this, try and support them by purchasing their books or spreading word of their needed work.
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N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
Replying to @NSAhmed99
Velvet by Huzama Habayeb (6): the heart of this narrative shifts away from overt politics & instead focuses on the dimensionality of the everyday life of Palestinians (especially Palestinian women). It draws attention away from dramatics and focuses on being a record & archive.
28K
N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
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Haifa Fragments by Khulud Khamis (8): this wonderful and poetic book challenges the notion of being an unwelcomed guest when returning to one's homeland. The prose is welcoming, and the truths that are interspersed throughout the novel are necessary to confront.
23K
N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
Replying to @NSAhmed99
Longing Inspired by the Law of Gravity by Fadwa Tuqan (10): this poem is the last one that Fadwa Tuqan, one of the great Palestinian poets, wrote during her lifetime. It is heartbreaking but a necessary read that examines the fears of an unknown tomorrow.
"Longing Inspired by the Law of Gravity" by Fadwa Touqan - Words Without Borders
From wordswithoutborders.org
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N.S. Ahmed
@NSAhmed99
Oct 29, 2023
Replying to @NSAhmed99
There is so so so much more that it would be impossible for me to keep adding, but please seek out what you can and read these stories and sit with these words, whether it be these works or others that you come across.
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