Trees for the Absentees
Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp author Ahlam Bsharat author Sue Copeland author Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp translator Sue Copeland translator
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Boundless Publishing Group Ltd
Published:12th Sep '19
Should be back in stock very soon
Translated from Arabic, Trees for the Absentees is a relatable coming-of-age tale of young love, meddling relatives, and heart-to-heart connections.
Philistia is an ordinary university student with an extraordinary life. She has no idea when her father will be released from prison, and works part-time washing women’s bodies in the ancient Ottoman hammam in Nablus. A midwife and corpse washer in her time, Philistia can't help but reminisce about her late Grandma Zahia, who taught her the ritual ablutions and the secrets of life and death.
In the enthralling darkness of the hamman in occupied Palestine, Philistia falls in love and embarks on a magical journey through her country's history, one of loss and centuries of oppression. As trees are uprooted around her, Philistia searches for a place of refuge, a place where she can plant a memory for the ones she’s lost.
Also available in an Arabic language paperback edition.
“A most ordinary, magical, devastating story. What Trees for the Absentees shares with works by authors like Gabriel García Márquez and Jorge Louis Borges is it finds a way within fiction to beautifully express what the ‘real’ somehow cannot.”— Dr Nora Parr, SOAS
"Her path is entwined with the history of one of the most volatile regions on earth... I could visualise the characters’ interchange so clearly. "— Dr Helen Vassallo - Translating Women - University of Exeter
"Evokes a deeply felt sense of place and emotion."— Novella Review - The Ampersand Project
“…backdrop of historical and contemporary occupations of Palestine with the universally relatable politics of family and community. This small book was a mighty experience.”— Dr Sophia Rehman, University of Leeds
“Exquisitely lyrical prose, with a masterful collaborative translation from Arabic…evocative metaphors and a dash of magical realism express more deftly the tragedy of Palestinian life under…occupation.“— Deborah Halford, OutsideInWorld
- Short-listed for Etisalat Award For Arabic Children's Literature 2013
ISBN: 9781911107231
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 88g
96 pages