Recent Stories

Layla Baalbaki: The Last Existential Feminist

Upon her passing, critics must reintroduce the late author, whose literary legacy was lost in the haze of time
 
Despite her reputation as one of the boldest Lebanese women writers at the peak of her career, Layla Baalbaki’s passing without much coverage on October 21, 2023, though delivering a shock throughout the Arab literary world, did not come as a surprise given the journalist and writer’s retreat from the spotlight since the 60s. Baalbaki was the first Lebanese woman tried in court for “outraging public decency” with her short story collection, “Spaceship of Tenderness to the Moon” (1963). The late writer’s life has been shrouded in mystery since she departed from literary fiction, even more so after her death. As many recall the impact of her works, others speculate on her short-lived literary career in equal fervor: why did Layla Baalbaki stop writing? Did she leave behind any notes or a memoir about her life before her passing? Without the woman herself to confirm or deny, any answers remain mere speculation.

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Our Current Issue

Between Languages and Legacies:

French, Historical Memory, and Algeria's Linguistic Future
By Naomi Pham
 
In Algeria, the debate over whether French should be replaced by English has become increasingly entangled with broader geopolitical and ideological tensions, often overshadowing the country’s actual linguistic and educational needs. In his discussion of Algeria’s “language question,” Algerian novelist and author Waciny Laredj rejects both the demonization of French and the uncritical glorification of English, arguing instead for a pragmatic, historically informed, and educationally sound approach to multilingualism.* French remains deeply embedded in Algerian society, from everyday communication to education and professional life, making its complete removal an enormous and potentially disruptive undertaking. At the same time, Laredj challenges narratives that portray French solely as a colonial legacy, pointing to moments in which the language played an important role in intellectual, political, and liberation movements. The question facing Algeria is not simply whether French should be replaced by English, but whether such a transition is practical, historically conscious, and genuinely beneficial to the country and future generations.
Essays and Features

When Nature Speaks, Superstition Answers:

Catastrophe and the Failure of Reason in Modern Arab Societies
By Naomi Pham
 
Across the Middle East and North Africa, superstition has long coexisted with religion, folklore, and everyday life. Beliefs surrounding the evil eye, divine curses, unseen forces, and supernatural causes for misfortune continue to shape how many people interpret disasters and hardship. While these traditions have deep historical roots, Algerian novelist and thinker Amin Zaoui argues in his essay, “When Natural Disasters Become a Breeding Ground for Superstition,” published in Independent Arabia, that their continued prominence carries consequences extending far beyond personal belief -- that is, superstition is not merely a harmless cultural practice but a force that can discourage critical thinking, perpetuate social injustice, and provide political authorities with a convenient escape from accountability.
Essays and Features

The River That Carries a Nation:

Lebanon’s River of Memory and Conflict
By Naomi Pham
 
Lebanese people often say that just as Egypt is the gift of the Nile, Lebanon is the gift of the Litani. Rivers create the ideal conditions for the rise of great civilizations, a connection acknowledged since ancient times through the worship and reverence of rivers in Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and across the wider world. From the creation of myths and the birth of numerous fertility deities to celebrations, festivals, and offering ceremonies, rivers have been central to the lives of the communities surrounding them. “As the presence of water is inextricably linked to the presence of life — and its absence to death — it is hardly surprising that rivers, waterways, and their basins have frequently ignited wars and bloody conflicts among humanity,” states Shawqi Bzeih in “The Litani River: Guardian of Memory and Legend, Ignored by Poets,” published in Asharq al-Awsat.
Essays and Features

Inscribing the Forgotten Quarter:

Public Art and the Preservation of Arab American History in New York
By Naomi Pham
 
Just in time for the closing of Arab American Heritage Month, French-Moroccan artist Sara Ouhaddou in collaboration with NYC Parks, the Washington Street Historical Society, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and funding by the Mellon Foundation, unveiled a vibrant art installation on April 30 that not only celebrates the history of its surrounding area, but stands imbued with the hopes of preserving the community’s legacy for years to come. With its permanent home at the Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza in the Financial District, Ouhaddou’s sculpture and mosaic installation, nearly a decade in the making, honors the memory of Manhattan’s Little Syria, which was completely demolished and its residents evicted in the 1940s to make way for the construction of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. The unveiling was also organized in conjunction with a symposium at NYU’s Kevorkian Center, titled “Beyond Al-Qalam: Literary Rebellion and Visual Abstraction in Little Syria,” held on May 2, 2026, exploring the legacy of New York’s early Arab American writers.
Essays and Features

Voices Across the Peninsula:

How Arabia's Tribes Created a Common Language Without a Common State
By Naomi Pham
 
Arabic in the pre-Islamic era — or Jahiliyyah, the ‘age of ignorance’ — was a diverse continuum of spoken dialects and poetic language rather than a single unified language. The period encompasses the history of the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding regions prior to the spread of Islam in 610 CE, a time characterized by nomadic Bedouin tribes and a rich oral poetry tradition. Mustafa Attia Juma’s essay, “The Reality of Arabic in the Pre-Islamic Era,” explores the deep history of the Arabic language and the conditions that determined its purity.
Essays and Features

From Bsharri to Boston:

Migration, Modernity, and Mentorship Forged the Transnational Legacy of Khalil Gibran
By 
Naomi Pham
 
The 95th anniversary of the passing of Gibran Khalil Gibran has prompted appreciation and remembrance of the late poet and artist, whose renown transcended borders and crossed seas. Many remember the writer for his most famous work, “The Prophet,” published in 1923, and continue to remember his legacy as a member of the Pen League nearly a century after his passing.

Life’s Two Moments

By 
Hanna Saadah
 
Life thrives between two seminal moments
Between the two moments of birth and death
These two moments encompass all of life
Because without birth there can be no life
Life can only thrive between these two moments.
 
But death is relative, not absolute
For life asserts itself wi

From Palestine to Lebanon:

The Persistence of a Human Moment
By 
Elie Chalala
 
For generations, in Lebanon and across the Arab world — and even in the diaspora — the term Nakba has carried a weight that exceeds its literal meaning of “catastrophe.” It is not merely a historical reference but a formative concept, one through which collective memory, political consciousness, and emotional identification have been shaped.

Living Under the Shadow of War:

The Drone Above Us, the Debate Among Us
By 
Elie Chalala
 
What caught my attention amid the ongoing war involving Israel, the United States, Iran, and Hezbollah are scenes strikingly similar to those I have personally witnessed — albeit remotely — in my native Lebanon, and now, in different ways, within the diaspora.

Syrian Literature and the Borders of Global Recognition:

Why Syrian Literature Struggles to Cross Borders
By 
Elie Chalala
 
Ali Safar, a Syrian writer and critic based in Paris, raises thought-provoking questions in his essay “Why Don’t Syrian Writers Reach Global Recognition?” — questions that prompted my selection of this issue.* Published in The New Arab, Safar’s piece explores the global marginalization of Syrian literature.

Lebanon’s Maronite Exception:

Minority Politics Without Authoritarianism
By 
Elie Chalala
 
Lebanon's politics have occupied a large part of my life. Reflecting on my past and drawing on refreshed memories of early Lebanese days and the diaspora, I can clearly see that my perspective on Lebanese politics has shifted between idealistic and realistic outlooks.

From Haven to Prison:

The City in the Modern Arab Novel
By 
Naomi Pham
 
It was once true that the city was where everyone wanted to be, where those seeking change and connections would flock in hopes of realizing their dreams. Arab cities were the opportune nesting grounds for any kind of cultural activity, the birthplace of famed literary salons, social hubs, and creativity beyond the mind’s eye.

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