Talking Through the Door: An Anthology of Contemporary Middle Eastern American Writing

By: Lisa Suhair Majaj

Book Overview

The writers included here are descendants of multiple cultural heritages and reflect the perspectives of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds: Egyptian, Iranian, Iraqi, Jordanian, Lebanese, Libyan, Palestinian, Syrian. They are from diverse socioeconomic classes and spiritual sensibilities: Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and atheist, among others. Yet, they coexist in this volume simply as American voices.

Atefat-Peckham gathered poetry and prose from sixteen accomplished writers whose works concern a variety of themes: from the familial cross-cultural misunderstandings and conflicts in the works of Iranian American writers Nahid Rachlin and Roger Sedarat to the mysticism of Khaled Mattawa's poems; from the superstitions that govern characters in Diana Abu-Jaber's prose to the devastating homesickness of Pauline Kaldas's characters. Filled with emotion and keen observations, this collection showcases these writers' vital contributions to contemporary American literature.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0815633475
• ISBN13: 9780815633471
• Release Date: June 2014
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.4"