Palestine +100:
STORIES FROM A CENTURY AFTER THE NAKBA
Ed. Basma Ghalayini
Comma Press 2019
223 pages
Review originally written for Shoreline of Infinity
Comma Press 2019
223 pages
Review originally written for Shoreline of Infinity
Comma Press has, yet again, delivered another exceptional short story collection. As with their recent publication Iraq +100, a series set a century after the disastrous American- and British-led invasion of 2003, Palestine +100 follows on with its own stories set in the near future of 2048, 100 years after the Nakba and the Palestinian exodus. Basma Ghalayini’s powerful introduction provides the ideal opening to a series of equally contemplative and dynamic science fiction stories, all dedicated to exploring the future of Palestine and the millions of Palestinian descendants currently displaced across the globe.
Although the authors and translators are certainly not obligated to inform people of the conflict, Ghalayini’s introduction and the collection as a whole does serve quite an educational purpose, providing a glimpse into the deeper, human experience of this trauma, something that isn’t always prioritised in the torrent of information we see through news reports and the internet. Indeed, the responsibility and consequences for this intense conflict stretch world-wide; to use science fiction as a method of contemplating, raising awareness and protesting the situation then encourages the international, Anglophone reader such as myself to empathise and experience just a minute fraction of the universal nature of the Palestinians’ suffering.
It is absolutely something to celebrate then, that these Palestinian authors no longer feel that science fiction ‘is a luxury, to which [they] haven’t felt they can afford to escape’. Access to such informative and highly moving works of science fiction written in, and translated into, English provides the perfect starting point for readers like me that may have a rather basic understanding of the history of Palestine. This collection manages to achieve a balance between making these stories accessible, whilst still encouraging the reader to do their own research into the languages, culture and history surrounding the situation. These aspects are considered here in a projected future, alongside a few specific novums, that highlights the turmoil facing the millions of Palestinian people in our contemporary reality.
Seeing as the novums created in science fiction are intrinsically connected to the societies the text emerges from, it is no surprise that the scientific advancements explored in these stories range from using VR to create a liberated Palestine to live in, to developments in technology that allow Palestinians to expand their territory underground. The diversity of sub-genres traversed in this collection is astounding as well. From the classic science fiction of Rawan Yaghi’s ‘Commonplace’, reminiscent of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, to the almost Lovecraftian alien invasion of Talal Abu Shawish’s ‘The Final Warning’ (translated by Mohamed Ghalaieny), and even the climactic, incredibly surreal but remarkable final story of Mazen Maarouf’s ‘The Curse of the Mud Ball Kid’ (translated by Jonathan Wright), there is something for every science fiction reader.
At this point in the review, I would usually list a few of my favourite texts. However, I’m reluctant to do that here. As someone so far removed from the socio-political situation these stories derive from, and with such a diverse collection, I couldn’t possibly rank them. Indeed, each story was effective and influential in its own way; it’s really no wonder it won the PEN Translates Award. The entire collection is so emotive, and after reading Iraq +100, it exceeded my already high expectations. Instead then, I would prefer to end this review by unequivocally recommending the entire anthology – I can’t wait to read the next instalment of the ‘+100’ series.
Although the authors and translators are certainly not obligated to inform people of the conflict, Ghalayini’s introduction and the collection as a whole does serve quite an educational purpose, providing a glimpse into the deeper, human experience of this trauma, something that isn’t always prioritised in the torrent of information we see through news reports and the internet. Indeed, the responsibility and consequences for this intense conflict stretch world-wide; to use science fiction as a method of contemplating, raising awareness and protesting the situation then encourages the international, Anglophone reader such as myself to empathise and experience just a minute fraction of the universal nature of the Palestinians’ suffering.
It is absolutely something to celebrate then, that these Palestinian authors no longer feel that science fiction ‘is a luxury, to which [they] haven’t felt they can afford to escape’. Access to such informative and highly moving works of science fiction written in, and translated into, English provides the perfect starting point for readers like me that may have a rather basic understanding of the history of Palestine. This collection manages to achieve a balance between making these stories accessible, whilst still encouraging the reader to do their own research into the languages, culture and history surrounding the situation. These aspects are considered here in a projected future, alongside a few specific novums, that highlights the turmoil facing the millions of Palestinian people in our contemporary reality.
Seeing as the novums created in science fiction are intrinsically connected to the societies the text emerges from, it is no surprise that the scientific advancements explored in these stories range from using VR to create a liberated Palestine to live in, to developments in technology that allow Palestinians to expand their territory underground. The diversity of sub-genres traversed in this collection is astounding as well. From the classic science fiction of Rawan Yaghi’s ‘Commonplace’, reminiscent of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, to the almost Lovecraftian alien invasion of Talal Abu Shawish’s ‘The Final Warning’ (translated by Mohamed Ghalaieny), and even the climactic, incredibly surreal but remarkable final story of Mazen Maarouf’s ‘The Curse of the Mud Ball Kid’ (translated by Jonathan Wright), there is something for every science fiction reader.
At this point in the review, I would usually list a few of my favourite texts. However, I’m reluctant to do that here. As someone so far removed from the socio-political situation these stories derive from, and with such a diverse collection, I couldn’t possibly rank them. Indeed, each story was effective and influential in its own way; it’s really no wonder it won the PEN Translates Award. The entire collection is so emotive, and after reading Iraq +100, it exceeded my already high expectations. Instead then, I would prefer to end this review by unequivocally recommending the entire anthology – I can’t wait to read the next instalment of the ‘+100’ series.
