It's only in fairly recent times that Arab writers have turned their hands to the theater. This collection of nineteen plays is evidence of the remarkable strides made as numerous playwrights have come to grips with this genre's problems and potential. The essence of the collection is its sheer variety. The subject matter ranges from the horrors of a political prison camp to the comic tribulations of furtive lovers trapped in a minefield, from historical...

Saeed is a Palestinian informant in Israel whose story is told in the form of letters to an unnamed correspondent after Saeed has escaped to outer space with the help of an extraterrestrial friend. He tries to gain favor by being the best informant, but his bad luck and dim wit guarantee his failure; his life is lived in constant fear, yet he is never without hope.

"For the first time in English, this book offers a critical appraisal of Darwish's work, from the earliest poetry to more recent works such as State of Siege, Don't Apologize for What You've Done, and Why Have You Left the Horse Alone? Here is the work of scholars and poets who examine the complex connections between poetry, myth, lyric, prose, and history in Darwish's work. Articles situate his writing in relation to both modern Arabic and world...