Jim Hinks

Gul Turner

Nedim Gursel

Both intelligent and accessible, this collection pulls readers into the heart of Turkish culture, politics, and history through multifarious narrative frameworks. The testimonials, memories, and confessions that weave through the pages not only birth a new concept of Turkish life from previously unsung voices, but also tell universal truths about living to which anyone can relate—regardless of background, language, or creed. Providing an enriched experience and taste of modern urban Turkey, these short stories paint Istanbul with many colors, shades, and tones with a luxury that cannot always be afforded by the novel.

A City in Short Fiction

The Book of Istanbul

Hassan Blasim

Joumana Haddad

Ghamal al-Ghitani

Fadwa Al-Qasem

Ala Hlehel

Yousef al-Mohaimeed

Elias Farkouh

Nabil Sulayman

Yitzkah Laor

‘Madinah’ – the Arabic word for ‘city’ – may conjure labyrinthine streets and the hustle and bustle of the souq in Westerners’ minds, but for the inhabitants of the Middle East it is a much more mercurial thing, and one that’s changing today faster than ever. Here – in ten urban stories set across the region – the city reveals itself through a vibrant array of characters: from the celebrated author collecting an award in the city that exiled him decades before, to the forlorn lover waiting at a rendezvous as government officials raid nearby shops, confiscating ‘wanton’ Valentine’s Day roses. Whilst engineers race to complete another ‘world’s tallest building’ in Dubai, and American helicopters patrol the Martyrs Bridge in Baghdad, we realise it is the people, and not the landmarks, that define these places; like the language student in Beirut who tries to make a joke of being ‘war-broken’ to her friends, or the Israeli General who invites guests to his office to watch promo videos for the tank that will ‘win the next war’ whilst eating biscuits and reciting poetry. For all we think we know of the conflict and exoticism of the region, nothing opens more doors to what we don’t than its writing. Here, ten short stories by new and established writers have been selected and translated in English for the first time, to open just such a door… "Isolation, homesickness and sex are themes to be expected in literature about cities. It is human for isolated people to experience places intensely and for the displaced to miss home..." - The Times, 22 Nov 08. "The desert cities bloom with unsustainable desire..." - The Independent, 28 Nov 08. 'a sampler of the vibrant writing coming out of the Middle East...' - The Saudi Gazette, 5 Jan.

City Stories from the Middle East

Madinah

Annie Ernaux

Laurent Binet

Hedi Kaddour

Didier Daeninckx

Patrick Bard

Lola Lafon

Valentine Goby

Patrick Fort

Patrick Raynal

Alain Serres

Bernard Chambaz

Shumona Sinha

Pascale Fautrier

Leslie Kaplan

Roger Martin

Carole Trebor

Sandra Lucbert

Murielle Szac

Bruno Doucey

Genevieve Brisac

Agnès Bihl

Abdelkader Djemai

Jean-marie Laclavetine

Herve Le corre

Guillaume Meurice

Gerard Mordillat

Francois Morel

Gregoire Polet

Jean-bernard Pouy

Alix Saint-andre

Daniele Sallenave

Jean-marc Salmon

Philippe Videlier

Nous avons tous un rapport particulier avec le train, des souvenirs d'échappées belles, de rencontres cocasses, de paysages qui défilent, de baisers échangés sur un quai de gare, de voyages qui ont changé une vie... C'est le cas d'une trentaine de plumes de la littérature française, qui souhaitent intervenir, au moyen de la fiction, en soutien à la grève engagée par les cheminots. Car la lutte des cheminots n'est pas une lutte corporatiste, elle cristallise au contraire l'idéal de solidarité, concrétisé par des services publics, de tout un peuple. Avec Patrick Bard, Agnès Bihl, Laurent Binet, Geneviève Brisac, Bernard Chambaz, Didier Daeninckx, Abdelkader Djemaï, Bruno Doucey, Annie Ernaux, Pascale Fautrier, Patrick Fort, Valentine Goby, Nedim Gürsel, Hédi Kaddour, Leslie Kaplan, Jean-Marie Laclavetine, Lola Lafon, Hervé Le Corre, Sandra Lucbert, Mako, Roger Martin, Guillaume Meurice, Gérard Mordillat, François Morel, Grégoire Polet, Jean-Bernard Pouy, Patrick Raynal, Alix de Saint-André, Danièle Sallenave, Jean-Marc Salmon, Alain Serres, Shumona Sinha, Murielle Szac, Tardi, Carole Trébor et Philippe Videlier. Les droits d'auteur seront reversés aux caisses de grève.

La bataille du rail - Cheminots en grève, écrivains solidaires

Mario Levi

Sema Kaygusuz

Turker Armaner

Murat Gulsoy

Muge Iplikci

Karin Karakasli

Gonu Kivilcim

Ozen Yula

Mehmet Zaman Saclioglu

Istanbul. Seat of empire. Melting pot where East meets West. Fingertip touching-point between continents. Even today there are many different versions of the city, different communities, distinct peoples, each with their own turbulent past and challenging interpretation of the present; each providing a distinct topography on which the fictions of the city can play out. This book brings together ten short stories from some of Turkey’s leading writers, taking us on a literary tour of the city, from its famous landmarks to its darkened back streets, exploring the culture, history, and most importantly people that make it the great city it is today. From the exiled writer recalling his appetite for a lost lover, to the mad, homeless man directing traffic in a freelance capacity… the contrasting perspectives of these stories surprise and delight in equal measure, and together present a new kind of guide to the city.

Nedim Gursel

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