SUAD AMIRY

En el restaurante Darna, el local de moda en Ramall se reúne periódicamente un grupo de amigas. Todas tienen dos problemas: la menopausia y su vinculación, por nacimiento o elección, con Palestina. En torno a la mesa se entrecruzan las historias de Ola, Jamilleh, Lena, Fadia, Rana, Maya y otras amigas: cada una habla de si misma con sinceridad y emocion, con el trasfondo de las tormentosas vicisitudes politicas y sociales de Oriente Proximo. El amor, la guerra, la familia, la politica, el sexo, la injusta y larga ocupacion militar, la vida y la muerte y tambien la edad que avanza. Ellas revelan sus sueños y aspiraciones, sus esperanzas y secretos. Y a traves de sus voces surge todo un mundo de casas, calles, voces, paisajes, poblado de parientes extravagantes, a veces ariscos, a veces tiernos, crueles, excentricos, comicos o profundamente tragicos. Una gran historia de mujeres muy por encima de los topicos y de la violenta y superficial actualidad televisiva.

Un libro particolare. Nato in una situazione particolare. Una donna palestinese, colta, intelligente e spiritosa, tiene un "diario di guerra". Gli israeliani sparano ma, nella forzata reclusione fra le pareti domestiche, "spara" anche la madre del marito, una suocera proverbiale. Pubblicato in maggio in Israele, il libro e un documento che, in forza della sua freschezza, e schierato senza rinunciare al dialogo. Suad Amiry e un architetto palestinese, fondatrice e direttrice del Riwaq Center for Architectural Conservation a Ramallah. Ha scritto numerosi volumi su differenti aspetti dell'architettura palestinese.

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR from NPR Set in Jaffa in between 1947 and 1951, this fable-like historical novel of young love ... darkly humorous and touching (Oprah Daily) is based on a true story during the beginning of the destruction of Palestine and displacement of its people.Based on the true story of two Jaffa teenagers, Mother of Strangers follows the daily lives of Subhi, a fifteen-year-old mechanic, and Shams, the thirteen-year-old student he hopes to marry one day. In this prosperous and cosmopolitan port city, with its bustling markets, cinemas, and cafes on the hills overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, we meet many other unforgettable characters as well, including Khawaja Michael, the elegant and successful owner of orange groves above the harbor; Mr. Hassan, the tailor who makes Subhis treasured English suit, which he hopes will change his life; and the very mischievous and outrageous Uncle Habeeb, who insists on introducing Subhi to the local bordello. With a thriving orange export business, Jaffa had always been a city welcoming to outsidersthe Mother of Strangerswhere Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived peacefully together. Once the bombardment of the city begins in April 1948, Suad Amiry gives us the grim but fascinating details of the shock, panic, and destruction that ensues. Jaffa becomes unrecognizable, with neighborhoods flattened, families removed from their homes and separated, and those who remain in constant danger of arrest and incarceration. Most of the population flees eastward to Jordan or by sea to Lebanon in the north or to Egypt and Gaza in the south. Subhi and Shams will never see each other again. Suad Amiry has written a vivid and devastating account of a seminal moment in the history of the Middle Eastthe beginning of the end of Palestine and a portrait of a city irrevocably changed.

Based on diaries and email correspondence that she kept from 1981-2004, here Suad Amiry evokes daily life in the West Bank town of Ramallah."A literary protest done with great wit, skill, and passion. Not only is it really funny but it shows the kind of courage, vision, and humanity needed to bring peace to the Middle East." Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina MonologuesCapturing the frustrations, cabin fever, and downright misery of her experiences, Amiry writes with elegance and humor about the enormous difficulty of moving from one place to another, the torture of falling in love with someone from another town, the absurdity of her dog receiving a Jerusalem identity card when thousands of Palestinians could not, and the trials of having her ninety-two-year-old mother-in-law living in her house during a forty-two-day curfew. With a wickedly sharp ear for dialogue and a keen eye for detail, Amiry gives us an original, ironic, and firsthand glimpse into the absurdityand agonyof life in the Occupied Territories.

Suad Amira escribió Sharon y mi suegra durante las sucesivas invasiones militares que el Ejército israelí llevó a cabo entre el 17 de noviembre de 2001 y el 26 de noviembre de 2003.Amiry habla aquí de su infancia y adolescencia, de la desesperacion de no conocer un tiempo de paz, de como tanto ella como sus parientes -especialmente su suegra- y amigos aprenden a acomodarse al tiempo de guerra, a casi desdramatizar la muerte violenta, a seguir adelante porque no hay otra vida, mucho menos si has nacido palestino.