Dinarzad's Children: An Anthology of Contemporary Arab American Fiction

by Pauline Kaldas (Editor), Khaled Mattawa (Editor)

Overview

The first edition of Dinarzad’s Children was a groundbreaking and popular anthology that brought to light the growing body of short fiction being written by Arab Americans. This expanded edition includes sixteen new stories —thirty in all—and new voices and is now organized into sections that invite readers to enter the stories from a variety of directions. Here are stories that reveal the initial adjustments of immigrants, the challenges of forming relationships, the political nuances of being Arab American, the vision directed towards homeland, and the ongoing search for balance and identity. The contributors are D. H. Melhem, Mohja Khaf, Rabih Alameddine, Rawi Hage, Laila Halaby, Patricia Sarrafian Ward, Alia Yunis, Diana Abu Jaber, Susan Muaddi Darraj, Samia Serageldin, Alia Yunis, Joseph Geha, May Monsoor Munn, Frances Khirallah Nobel, Nabeel Abraham, Yussef El Guindi, Hedy Habra, Randa Jarrar, Zahie El Kouri, Amal Masri, Sahar Mustafah, Evelyn Shakir, David Williams, Pauline Kaldas, and Khaled Mattawa.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557289124
Publisher:	University of Arkansas Press
Publication date:	11/28/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	380
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Pauline Kaldas is assistant professor of English and creative writing at Hollins University. She was born in Egypt and immigrated to the United States in 1969. She is the author of Letters from Cairo and Egyptian Compass.

Khaled Mattawa, a 2014 MacArthur fellow, is associate professor Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He was born in Libya and immigrated to the United States in 1979. He is the author of four books of poetry and a number of translations of contemporary Arab poetry. His work has won two Pushcart Prizes, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and awards from the Academy of American Poets, PEN, and NEA.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	vii
	Introduction	ix
	How We Are Bound	1
	The New World	15
	A Frame for the Sky	31
	Lost in Freakin' Yonkers	43
	Oh, Lebanon	57
	Fire and Sand	73
	News from Phoenix	87
	And What Else?	103
	The Salad Lady	115
	The Coal Bin	121
	Manar of Hama	129
	The Spiced Chicken Queen of Mickaweaquah, Iowa	137
	Stage Directions for an Extended Conversation	155
	It's Not about That	161
	Airport	171
	Bluebird	179
	Edge of Rock	185
	Shakespeare in the Gaza Strip	197
	Arabic Lessons	207
	The Temptation of Lugman Abdallah	225
	First Snow	255
	The Hike to Heart Rock	265
	The American Way	281
	My Elizabeth	295
	Contributors' Notes	313
	Selected Bibliography of Arab American Literature	319

What People are Saying About This

Charles Johnson

DINARZAD'S CHILDREN is a powerful antidote for the cultural ignorance most of us have about the complex humanity of our fellow Arab American citizens.

If we open ourselves to the treasure-trove of stories assembled here by Kaldas and Mattawa, that ignorance might not prove to be fatal because the galaxy of rich characters in this important collection-all of them new to our literature-will forever change our perception and deepen our empathy for those of Middle Eastern descent.
—National Book Award winning author of MIDDLE PASSAGE

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the first edition: Silver Award (Anthologies), ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards “A moving and important anthology. . . . An invaluable resource and a solid compendium. . . . Highly recommended.” —Library Journal “Starred Review” “A timely and moving collection . . . [that] underlines the similarities between recent immigrants and their American neighbors, thus emphasizing all that we have in common beneath the veneer of culture.” —Booklist “Admirable in their own right, these stories are also ‘testaments to the humanity of a heterogeneous and complex group of people’ whose work deserves both recognition and celebration.” —MELUS Magazine

From the Publisher

In the broadening canon of American literature, Arab American writers have been overlooked. Only in the last few years has there been a keen interest in things Middle Eastern; with that comes the discovery of the Arab American voice. In this moving and important anthology of short fiction, creative writing professors Kaldas (Hollins Univ.) and Mattawa (Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor) introduce readers to 19 contemporary Arab American writers, some well established, others younger and emerging. They include Christians and Muslims, immigrants and the American-born, and individuals from all walks of life. The carefully selected pieces, some of which have never been published, include an eclectic mix of tales about social issues, generational and domestic conflicts, and stereotyping and estrangement in society. As this sampling shows, unlike other ethnic literatures, this literature conveys a distinct attachment to current politics in the region where these writers originated, often with a subtle sense of activism regarding Arab issues. While there are anthologies of Arab American literature in other genres, this work is distinct and will be an invaluable resource and a solid compendium. The brief introduction and biographical sketches of each author are sufficiently informative. Highly recommended for collections of all sizes.-Ali Houissa, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal