Ask the Author: Susan Abulhawa
Answered Questions (16)
Susan Abulhawa
Yes, of course.
Susan Abulhawa
hi Gabriella. See previous answer for a short list of recommendations. I’ll add to that list another: Time of White Horses by Ibrahim Nasrallah
Susan Abulhawa
There are a lot of excellent books by Palestinians. Here are a few:
Sharon and My Mother In Law by Suad Amiry.
I Saw Ramallah by Murid Barghouti
Palestine Walks by Raja Shehadeh
In Search of Fatima by Khada Karmi
Map of Home by Randa Jarrar
Sharon and My Mother In Law by Suad Amiry.
I Saw Ramallah by Murid Barghouti
Palestine Walks by Raja Shehadeh
In Search of Fatima by Khada Karmi
Map of Home by Randa Jarrar
Susan Abulhawa
we were never fighting the Jews. We are fighting zionists and israelis. Jews have always been part of Palestinian history; they were Palestinian, not the Europeans who landed on our shores with guns and nefarious designs. I’m sorry you feel so far from your roots.
Susan Abulhawa
I think it depends on your comfort level with either language. If it helps, I wrote it in English and there awesime parts that were removed by Qatari censors in the Arabic translation
Susan Abulhawa
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
Susan Abulhawa
Thank you Everyday Hope. I see you sent another note with the same question and I will respond there. But please mark your questions as spoilers because you mention something that does not happen until the end.
Susan Abulhawa
Hi Nada!
THE BLUE BETWEEN SKY AND WATER is already out in Italian. The English version will be published in the UK/world (except US) on June 4, 2015 and in the US in September. :)
THE BLUE BETWEEN SKY AND WATER is already out in Italian. The English version will be published in the UK/world (except US) on June 4, 2015 and in the US in September. :)
Susan Abulhawa
I know the French version has been problematic. It’s no longer in circulation. But I’m not sure why you can’t get the English version. It is available on all internet outlets at least, and bookstores shouldn’t have any trouble ordering it. They should also have easy access to the Arabic translation. Have you spoken with booksellers or tried to order yourself online?
Susan Abulhawa
I don’t see “Arab” as a monolith. So, I don’t think in terms of “Arab generations” when it comes to Palestine. Just because we speak the same language and share the same religion with, for example, Kuwaitis or Emiratis, doesn’t mean we are necessarily connected spiritually and politically. In fact, I feel far more kinship with our brothers and sisters in South Africa and with African Americans than I do with Kuwaitis. Certainly we have more shared solidarity and show up for each other in our respective struggles. I think our friends are the ones who show up for us. For our part, we have to ensure that we show up for them.
Susan Abulhawa
It started with two stories I read about a couple of kids, a boy in Gaza and a girl in the West Bank. Each of them had retreated to some highly regressed mental state due to psychological trauma from the occupation. But there was nothing physically “wrong” with them that anyone could discern.
Susan Abulhawa
I'm fortunate to be born Palestinian in the midst of so many buried stories. I dig them up from the ground, from my memories, and from the lives of those I know and love.
Susan Abulhawa
Proofing my second novel, THE BLUE BETWEEN SKY AND WATER, and crafting a third novel.
Susan Abulhawa
Write. Spend hours doing it, consistently for long periods of time.
Susan Abulhawa
The privilege of being given entry into the hearts of strangers.
Susan Abulhawa
I give myself permission to write awful prose, to write things that I will likely discard later. It's difficult to do that, but it helps when I remind myself that my craft and skill comes in the rewriting, not the writing.
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