This is widely considered to be the first Arabic novel to examine life under i$r@el! occupation, and it offers a rich tapestry of characters who react to life in Nablus under occupational rule in various ways.

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We have characters like Usama, who is returning from the Gulf after a few years away, convinced the violence is the only way to resist the occupation. Then there’s Adil, a young man responsible for feeding his large family, including his ill father, who shamefacedly takes a job in an i$r@el! factory because of slightly higher wages. Abu Sabir, an older Palestinian man who is refused compensation after a workplace accident because he’s not recognised by the company as a legitimate worker.

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These characters’ lives intersect and there’s often contention between them all - everyone with a different opinion of the ‘best’ way to survive under an occupation which views them as inferior. This novel was published in 1976 (after first being confiscated by i$r@el! authorities), but the same things are playing out then as we’re seeing now. Palestinians are subject to everything from humiliation to outright brutality when trying to just live their day to day lives.

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There’s a resounding idea throughout the novel that Palestinians have been left to fight for their own survival, forgotten by other Arab countries and the west. A line is repeated often by characters: ‘Sink in the mud, Palestine, and kiss the world goodbye.’  But Palestinians - then and now - refuse this missive. They refuse to give up, continue to resist and fight for their right to live freely in their own land. But we must keep our attention on Palestine, continue to call for a ceasefire and an end to the occupation.

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Translated from the Arabic by Elizabeth Fernea & Trevor Legassick