In the Reverie of Dreams Ayoub’s Journey Between a Dreamy Introspection and Daydream By Abdallah M. El-Zoubi* In the heart of the Jordanian capital, nestled adjacent to the Arab Bank, lies a renowned literary and political café. Here, amidst the flickering glow of ornate golden lanterns, Ayoub sat ensconced in solitude. His face, pallid …
Standing as One by Hatem Al-Shamea Sami scrolled through the heartbreaking photos on his phone – emaciated children bombed out neighborhoods. Yemen was facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, and millions had been forced from their homes by years of civil war. As a Yemeni himself, the scenes of suffering tore at …
Whispering Discs a short story by Ahmed Abdo translated by Hatem Mohammed Al-Shamea The night of the village was like my mother’s shawl on the day of my funeral! Except for flashes of light that sparkled in the beads of people’s eyes, from the remnants of the glow of electric bulbs in homes …
A Man in the Dark a short story by Saeed Mohammed Al-Hammadi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea He rose from his seat and peered out the window. Pitch darkness enveloped everything. He thought, “This is a night of utter blackness. It seems like the middle of the night, and the moon and stars are hidden …
A Traveling Cafe In your land, even the pebbles bloom In its springs. And the birds beckon with their lightness. The dew said: “For photography – The old house wall.” I see summer lying in silence In a bed of sand and water on the sea, The teacher forgets his chalk cloud In the pot. …
“A Cup of Coffee on the Edge of Chaos” is a collection of short stories by renowned Yemeni writer Entesar Asseri that delves deeply into human emotions and experiences. Through a variety of short narratives, Asseri explores profound perspectives on life, love, and the complexities of the human psyche. Each story draws readers in with …
A Cup of Coffee on the Edge of Chaos – Entesar Asseri Read More »
Other a novel by Mohammed Al-Qasabi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea 1 He thrusts the door violently, jolting her awake with a surge of anxiety. She gazes at him in alarm, as if anticipating a momentous decision leaping from her eyes. A surprise overtakes her as his body collapses onto hers, his hands lunging for …
Mubarak Al-Yadoumi – Yemeni Poet and Novelist Dr. Mubarak Ali Ahmed Al-Hamadi Al-Yadoumi (born July 8, 1986) is a Yemeni national hailing from the village of Daf, Ans District, Dhamar Governorate. His ancestral roots trace back to the Al-Yadoumi family in the village of Thi Yadoum, Khawlan Al-Tayyal, Sanaa Governorate. Married with three children, …
The Wa’l [Ibex] Rises: Reclaiming Yemeni Identity through an Ancient Symbol From the sun-baked sands of Hadhramaut to the terraced mountains of Saada, the ibex, known as “wa’l” in Arabic, has long been etched into the soul of Yemen. This nimble mountain goat, defying gravity with its surefooted ascent, transcends mere animal to become a …
A New Home He moved with his beloved from that suffocating situation, and the smells that used to give him a headache. Fate led them to a home that shone with its brilliance, and food that they had never dreamed of. Everything was elegant. This is the paradise, then, that they are stingy with us. …
A New Home – Nabila Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
In Proof that I Am Not Dead A year will pass In proof that I have not lived A year has passed On the steps of a sparrow in the shade With no nest But escape, with its feathers scattered I tried, smiling To bid the world farewell All the evidence points not to the …
In Proof that I Am Not Dead – Yaseen Al-Bukali – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
The Quarantine Philosopher Wajdi Al-Ahdal trans. by Hatem Al-Shamea Chapter One “The Great Certainties: The Origin of Every Deception” “In the Zima cemetery, the events of this novel unfold. I won’t delve into the stories of buried humans; instead, I’ll content myself with recounting an entertaining tale about a world unknown to you. I will …
The Quarantine Philosopher – Wajdi Al-Ahdal – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Map of Sorrow and Wind Author: Ahmed Mohamed Abdo – Egypt Translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Geography: Perhaps this patch is the skin of a cow or a buffalo! Its vastness and sprawling ends, as it is spread out and pinned to the wall of the classroom, indicates that it is most likely for a domesticated …
Map of Sorrow and Wind – Ahmed Abdo – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
The night, a café of memories, On its windows condenses The vapor of longing, Breathing joy, Metaphors of silence… ______ The night, a café of memories, Gazes surreptitiously at me, A mid-spring moon In the midst of the sky, The white thread sparkles… ______ The night, a café of memories, Weighs heavily on me, The …
The night, a café of memories – Asma’a Al-Shaibani – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
I Named Her Fatima By Mayasa Al-Nakhlani 0 Things are often not as they appear; what our eyes see is merely the outer shell concealing another world underneath. Many times, this inner world has no connection to the apparent reality, as if the shell that formed and solidified has been influenced by the elements of …
I Named Her, Fatima – a novel written by Mayasa Al-Nakhlani – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Eid O night, tomorrow Celebrates my homeland, What is there now in your canopy, For the eyes of my homeland? Red stars and tears, And a lifetime in the shards, The ruins and sacrifices, The muezzin And the praying ones, Remnants upon remnants. And I, for the dawn, O night, call out, Tomorrow, O night, …
Eid – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
An excerpt [Two Chapters] from Al-Gharbi Emran’s Yael’s Darkness Chapter One Sana’a The 14th century Hijri The Manuscript of Joudar It was ten o’clock in the morning. Groups of dock workers, vendors lying on the street, and the loudspeaker of a waste-truck echoed loudly. Unemployed people occupied the corners of cafes, while beggars roamed about. …
Yael’s Darkness – Al-Gharbi Emran – trans: Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Peaches My grandmother, with her slender figure brimming with vitality, her wide glasses partially concealing her tender features, her lone eye assisting her, casting light to protect us, indulge us. One day, as she leaned over the firewood with an axe in hand for baking bread, she bid farewell to her other eye. She always …
Peaches – by Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans: Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Surprise For a stretch of time, he had been circling around me, and I, consumed by my own concerns, scarcely acknowledged his presence. Yet, his proximity escalated, his attempts to draw near adopting a veneer of friendliness. I articulated my unequivocal refusal, branding his overtures as an act of desperation. While I dismissed the situation …
Surprise – by Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans: Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
**Balm** Why did they say? Love won’t return Another time Like friendship Then they said It’s a memory of a wound Twisting And sees the tremor of a heart With its aspirations cautiously observed It will long for The tear of the eye for a memory Folded, wounded And constrained They lied Something like light …
Balm – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans: Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Violet Roses cascade, Bearing the weight of the alphabet, With tales echoed, Of sins yet to come, Of burdens to bear. They carry their shimmer, And this letter returns, Playing a gentle melody, Unveiling a window, To sing, At the wound’s inception, To seal the wound, A bleeding of violet hue. I was not Layla, …
Violet – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Here I Am They see me with a smiling face, and pleasant, They see my words bleeding, in pain they suffer. The ignorant ones say, “He vacillates,” The lovers say, “He is infatuated.” Some say, “He is arrogant,” While others say, “He is enigmatic, unfathomable.” Yet, none of them know That within me resides a …
Here I Am – Esa Al-Azab – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Shawi on The Internet He was met with a flurry of photographers and journalists from international media outlets, all asking him questions. What had been his most recent relationship? Was it true that Zahra was his one true love? Was it true that he had a personal designer to dress him in his stylish attire? …
Shawi on The Internet – Maha Salah . trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
An Evening of Bliss An evening of bliss, oh how I adore, Where the heartbeat of longing forever soars. For you, I lay a velvet night’s embrace, And the waterfall of stars cascades with grace. My heart unveils the depths of my love, Knocking on sorrow’s door, mindful of the rough. Yet my tongue falters, …
An Evening of Bliss – Entesar Hasan – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Fear I asked him, “How old are you?” He replied, “Seven years.” As I watched, a bare-chested child wearing shabby, torn pants passed me, carrying a heavy brick. He appeared weak and small enough to be working instead of playing with toys like our children. I followed him with my heart and observed his wide …
Fear – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Revisiting the Yemeni Revolution in Suhair Assamman’s “Behind the Walls of Memory” by Hatem Al-Shamea Introduction Suhair Assamman’s short story, “Behind the Walls of Memory,” provides a poignant reflection on the impact of the Yemeni revolution and the enduring scars it left on the lives of its participants. Through the protagonist, Khaled, who struggles with …
Behind the Walls of Memory The fifty-year-old woman enters the room, holds a glass of milk in her hand, and says: How are you this morning, my son? Still looking at the picture, as usual!… -I am trying to recall how and when this memory appeared and disappeared behind the ticking of the clock. I …
Behind the Walls of Memory – Suhair Assamman – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
The Gravedigger “It is not easy to become a gravedigger.” With these words, Abdul Mujoud concluded his long talk with his new assistant in the room overlooking the cemetery. The young man rose, expressing his frustration with the repetition of such words, and walked toward the door murmuring softly: “Always words and advice. This old …
The Gravedigger – Sameer Abdelfattah – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Psychological Analysis of Memory and Trauma in Mayasa Al-Nakhlani’s “I Named Her Fatima” by Hatem Al-Shamea Introduction The novel “I Named Her Fatima” by acclaimed Yemeni author Mayasa Al-Nakhlani delves deeply into themes of psychological trauma, repressed memory, and inner turmoil. Through the protagonist Khalid, the story explores how past traumatic events can shape one’s …
Gone, what’s gone And the sidewalk persists To the depths of my heart, bleeding flows I try to remember something of life Something about love on a summer starry night Did I have a homeland and a beloved? Why am I above this sidewalk? I waited and exaggerated in waiting My expectations were surpassed I …
Gone, What’s Gone – Fatima Al-Ashabi. Trans: Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
