Author / Fadi Zaghmout

Posts by Fadi Zaghmout

Interested in social issues, individual freedoms and human rights in the Arab world!
by Fadi Zaghmout

رواية أمل على الأرض


وأخيراً وبعد طول انتظار، انتهيت من العمل على رواية أمل على الأرض ووقعت العقد مع دار الأهلية للنشر والتوزيع للقيام بطباعتها ونشرها وتوزيعها في المكتبات خلال أسبوعين من تاريخه . عادة ما تكون فترة إطلاق الكتاب هي الفترة الأكثر تشويقاً بالنسبة لي، فبعد العمل عليه لمدة ثلاثة أعوام، ها هو جاهز للنشر، وأنا على أحر من الجمر لمعرفة ردود فعل القراء. أردت لهذا العمل أن يخرج في أفضل حال، لذلك لم أستعجل في نشره، وعملت على تطويره مع محترفين من ناحية القصة واللغة والغلاف. أردت له أن يضيف إلى الرواية السابقة، جنّة على الأرض، من ناحية السرد وتطوير القصة والإثارة والجرأة ومتعة القراءة وأتمنى أن تكون عند حسن ظنكم وتنال محبتكم.

رواية أمل على الأرض

تدور أحداث أمل على الأرض بعد ٣٠ عام من نهاية رواية جنة على الأرض، أي بعد حوالي مئة عام من اليوم، ونتابع في أحداثها أثر القرار الذي اتخذته جنة في نهاية الجزء الأول حين صوتت لصالح قانون منع الشيخوخة.

كيف سيؤثر ذلك على حياة أبنائها، أمل وعُمر؟ وكيف سيتعامل المجتمع مع عالم لم تعد فيه الشيخوخة متاحة، وأصبح فيه طول عُمر الإنسان لا محدود؟ متى سيُحاكم الإنسان على أعماله؟ وكيف سيلجأ، بالاستعانة بالذكاء الاصطناعي والتطور التقني لتسجيل حسنات وسيئات البشر، وخلق نسخة افتراضية عن الجنة والنار لمحاسبتهم على ما اقترفوه من أعمال تحت مبدأ الثواب والعقاب؟

كل هذا والمزيد..

طبعة جديدة لرواية جنّة على الأرض

المفاجأة التانية هي إصدار طبعة جديدة من رواية جنة على الأرض، بغلاف جديد ومع دار الأهلية للنشر.

حين صدرت جنة على الأرض لأول مرة في عام ٢٠١٤، كان الجميع يتوقع رواية تشبه روايتي الأولى عروس عمان، لكني أردت أن أخوض تجربة مختلفة، وكتبت رواية خيال علمي تحاول قراءة المستقبل القريب يقضي فيه العلم على الشيخوخة.

رغم أن هذا النوع من الأدب لم يأخذ حقه بعد في الأدب العربي إلا أن ردود أفعال القراء وحبهم للرواية ما غرس في عقلي فكرة العمل على جزء ثاني لها، أمل على الأرض. من هؤلاء القراء أذكر الصديق زيد بواب الذي كتب سيناريو فيلم كامل للرواية وربح عليه منحة من هيئة الأفلام الملكية لتطويره، والقارئة الجميلة تارا التي وشمت ذراعها بحروف جنة وأخبرتني عن نيتها تسمية ابنتها جنة، والصديق طارق عبدو الذي قدمني بطريقة رائعة في مهرجان ألف الأدبي حين صدرت الرواية، والصديقة ميساء العظم التي طلبت مني نسخة من الرواية بعد أن قرأتها لتهديها إلى جدتها، وأخي علاء الذي اعتبرها من أجمل ١٠ كتب قرأها في حياته.

أشكرهم جميعا وأهديهم رواية أمل على الأرض

by Fadi Zaghmout

Exciting news: Ebra wa Kushtuban is the first audio book launched by Safahat Sowt


The stars were aligned. When Lana Nasser approached me more than a year ago, telling me that she has set up her own studio and is looking to do more voice over projects, I knew I want her voice on Ebra wa Kushtuban. I met Lana 12 years ago. She was teaching acting in a special workshop at the Royal Film Commission. I wanted to learn how to act. I dreaded standing in front of a camera for casting but I gathered my courage and showed up. Lana was there, observing and directing the candidates. I think they gave me few lines to act, but then she asked me to choose a character and come up with a monologue. I don’t know why I chose Salma from The Bride of Amman. I spoke in her voice. I talked about her struggle. I felt her pain. My voice became weaker and I felt tears in my eyes. I was accepted in the workshop!

For few months Lana trained us on the principles of acting. She was always prepared. Have all the knowledge needed. And she was very patient, asking us to play the scene over and over again. She sits in silence observing till the act ends. Then she gives the right helpful remarks. During those days I became fond of the way she pulls herself. The way she speaks. Her confidence and deep mesmerizing voice. Some years later, I saw her performing, a full play, all by herself, in a corner of the Swedish Ambassador house inn Amman. And I was impressed. The voice, the narration, the acting, the plot, the moves. Lana is a TALENT. And, on another time, I was honored to be on stage next to her and another 5 beautiful ladies to narrate the stories of 7 women in a Swedish play called SEVEN.

So I asked her if she’d like to narrate Ebra wa Kushtuban, and I was thrilled that she accepted. She sent me a sample, and I loved it. As she went on recording her voice, I came to feel that she gave a life to those characters in the book. I knew that this will be a different experience. It is not your typical audio book, but more of a radio drama. A full show that will keeps you gripped, enjoying the voice as much as the story.

While Lana finished adding her voice to the chapters, I had an eye of Sowt‘s audio productions. It is a Jordanian platform that has been growing, producing quality audio content that everyone loves. I admire what they did. They have approached me before for a potential collaboration on a special podcast but that didn’t happen. I emailed Ramsey George Tesdell, CEO of Sowt, and pitched the idea to him. He replied instantly and told me that he had the idea of starting an audio books channel for Sowt in mind, and that he thinks that Ebra wa Kushtuban can be the perfect start. I was super happy.

I knew that Sowt will make sure the production will be of top quality. And they did. We have been working with them to perfecting it. They asked me to record the writer’s note in my voice. An experience that I enjoyed. They perfected the files and created a beautiful branding, and launched the book two days ago with professionally planned marketing campaign.

I can’t tell you how happy I am about the whole experience. We have a work that is the product of collaboration of Jordanian top talents. I know you will enjoy listening to it and can’t wait for your feedback. Hopefully more of this will come your way in the future.

You can subscribe to Safahat Sowt using this link.

by Fadi Zaghmout

What is your IQ?


The other day while applying for a job opening on Linkedin, a form popped-up with few questions. It had more questions than the forms I usually come across when applying for a job on Linkedin. One of the questions was “What is your IQ?”. I posed for a moment when I got to it. I did few IQ tests in the past and I remember that I usually get high score but it differs from a test to another. So I didn’t have the answer ready and I didn’t feel the question is appropriate as this stage. I ended up dismissing the form and not applying for the job.

I tend to think of myself of being smart. Probably because as a kid I was good in Math and Physics. In my early school years I had my math scores of 100/100 and in my last school year I was one of 3 classmates who scored a full mark in the physics mid-term national exam. At one point I wanted to study physics at college but I ended up doing computer science. I have so much interest in science and wish to be able to switch course at one point and contribute to science in a way or another. Having said that, I found myself verge into writing and found a new full-filling passion when I started blogging back in 2006. I used to hate languages at school, scoring lowest in Arabic and English, but then, today, I find joy in the power of words and love in imagining and telling stories.

The question about my IQ made me remember two incidents that till today makes me smile. One was at school in my 10th grade. It was a physics class and we had an exam about Newton’s physics. I used to love Newton’s physics and was very good at it. There was a question in the exam that I was sure I got it right. I remember checking with other students in class who all answered it differently. I knew that I was the only one who solved it correctly so when the teacher corrected our papers and was handing over our scores I was surprised to hear that others who answered the question differently got a full mark. I thought maybe I was wrong. But then when the teacher reached to my name, he paused. He said that he was correcting the papers and giving full marks but then when he reached to mine, he realized that what he thought was a correct answer for that question was actually wrong. He was correcting the papers wrongly. He didn’t want to go back and take out some marks he already gave, instead he rewarded me with an extra 2 marks on top of my full mark.

The class cheered and clapped for me and I felt so proud!

In a similar incident at college, I had a course about Computer Algorithms. I didn’t really enjoy that course. I think it has to do with the teacher. But then again in one of the classes, we were learning tree data structures. The teacher had a small test for us and he posted it on the black board. He asked who can solve this? I felt it was an easy job as I knew the solution instantly but I was shy to raise my hand to participate. I gave chance to others. Few raised their hands and tried but neither got it right. So the teacher raised the stakes. He said that whoever solves it, will get an extra 10 marks in final exam of the course. And that was a good motivation for me to overcome my shyness and step up. I raised my hand, he picked me, I walked to the board and solved it and got back to my seat. The teacher posed for a few seconds looking at my solution, then he said that during the past 15 years of him teaching this course, he has been posting the same problem every time and no one of his students have ever solved it. I was the first one to do so.

The class cheered for me and I felt proud again. I will never forget that moment.

Of course, I haven’t always felt smart and there has been some incidents where I felt and acted stupid. But I will leave that for another post!

by Fadi Zaghmout

الاحتفاء بالتنوع الجنسي نشرٌ للمعرفة لا اعتداء على هوية دينية أو قومية


بمناسبة شهر الفخر تحتفل الشركات العالمية بالتنوع الجنسي وتقوم عدد كبير منها باستبدال اللوغو الخاص بالشركة بواحد يحمل الوان الطيف كدلالة على دعمها للتنوع البشري ودعوة منها لتقبّل الآخر، أو تقوم بتطوير محتوى دعائي توعوي يحمل الرسالة ذاتها. وعلى نفس المنوال، نرى شركات تطوير المحتوى العالمية مثل نتفليكس وديزني وصناعة الأفلام في هوليوود بشكل عام تحاول رفع الوعي واظهار التنوع الطبيعي بين البشر في الشخصيّات التي تعرضها، وذلك ادراكاً منها أن ذلك يعكس صورة أقرب إلى الواقع والحقيقة من الصورة المزيّفة التي اعتدنا رؤيتها في الانتاج الثقافي في السابق.

الأمر ليس مؤامرة عالمية ولا أجندة تسيّرها جهات معيّنة للنيل من منظومة القيم العربية والإسلامية، بل هو في الحقيقة أبسط من ذلك بكثير، وفي الواقع يندرج تحت بند نشر المعرفة. وطلب المعرفة في حد ذاته قيمة إنسانية عالمية ليست حكراً على ثقافة معيّنة أو بيئة معيّنة. ولا تتعارض بأي شكل من الأشكال مع هويّة الأفراد في أمّة “إقرأ”. فالمعرفة البشرية في تطوّر مستمر، والوعي في الصفات المختلفة المكوّنة للجنسانية البشريّة والتنوّع الكبير في تلك الصفات ازداد بشكل كبير في العالم خلال السنوات الماضية.

لا يعيب الفرد أن يحكم أخلاقيّاً على أمر ما بناء على معرفة معيّنة غير مكتملة الأبعاد ولا يعيبه أن يغير حكمه الأخلاقي حين تتضح الصورة له ويتطور وعيه المعرفي، وذلك لن ينتقص من هويّته الدينية أو القومية ولا من منظومة الأخلاق التي تشكل هذه الهويّات. والأولى بنا أن نحارب اختزال الغنى الأخلاقي في هوياتنا العربية والإسلامية برفض ما نراه نتاج ثقافة أخرى.

علينا أن نعي أن الإنسان يتشكّل من مجموعة من الصفات المختلفة، آلاف من الصفات، وهذه الصفات تأتي بتنوع كبير، فلا وجود لصفة إنسانية ثنائية التجسد، لأن الشيفرة الوراثية لا تعمل بآلة رقمية لتعطينا قيمتي الصفر والواحد، بل هي أشبه بالآلة الآنالوج حيث تتم قراءة بيانات الشيفرة الوراثية وانتاج الصفات البشرية بناء على معطيات عديدة، مما يتيح تجسيدها بأنواع مختلفة لا تعد ولا تحصى. وكل صفة من هذه الصفات تحتمل ما هو مقبول في ثقافة معينة وما هو غير مرحب به، من الاختلاف في صفة لون البشرة إلى الاختلاف في طول الأفراد أو أوزانهم أو غيرها من الصفات النفسية كالانفتاح على الآخر وسرعة الغضب وطريقة التفاعل الاجتماعي وووو..

والحقيقة أن الصفات المشكلة لجنسانية الفرد تحمل نفس التنوع وهي صفات متعددة كذلك لا يمكن حصرها واختزالها في صفة واحدة. أذكر منها صفة النوع البيولوجي (الجنس) وما يحمله من تنوع نراه في حجم وأشكال الأعضاء الجنسية، وصفة النوع الاجتماعي (الجندر) وما تحمله من تنوع ثقافي وأدوار مختلفة حسب بيئة الفرد، وصفة هوية النوع الاجتماعي وما تحمله من اختلافات كبيرة بين الأفراد في شعورهم بها، صفة الميول الجنسي وطيف الميول الجنسي، وصفة التعبير عن الهوية الجنسية، وكذلك التنوع الكبير في الممارسات الجنسية والرغبات المختلفة بين الأفراد والتي تترجم بناء على تداخل معقد لكافة تلك الصفات وغيرها من الصفات غير الجنسية.

الأمر يعود إلى المعرفة، ولا خوف من المعرفة، ولا داعي للهلع من محاولة الغرب فرض انحلالهم الأخلاقي علينا. على العكس علينا بشكر هذه الشركات العالمية لمساهمتها في رفع المعرفة ودعوتها إلى الانفتاح وتقبّل الآخر واحتضان الاختلاف. وتقبّلنا لذلك لا يعني تخلينا عن هويّتنا العربية ولا هويّتنا الدينية مهما كانت هذه الهوية، بل ترسيخاً لهذه الهويّات بمبادئها الإنسانية التي ترفض النفاق وتستنكر الجهل ولا ترحب بالكراهية.

by Fadi Zaghmout

3 inspiring feminist Arab women leaders that you need to follow


I have a great respect and admiration for strong women who are vocal about their rights, who have crossed boundaries and stood up to outdated cultural values, who never shied of saying things as they are. I have been lucky to meet few of them, and here in this post, I’d like to show my appreciation, admiration and love to these inspiring three ladies, who gave support to my work and honored me with talks by their side.

Mona Eltahawi

Mona Eltahawy is a journalist and social commentator based in New York City. She has written essays and op-eds for publications worldwide on Egypt and the Islamic world, on topics including women’s issues and Muslim political and social affairs. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, and the Miami Herald among others. Headscarves and Hymens, Eltahawy’s first book, was published in May 2015. Eltahawy has been a guest analyst on U.S. radio and television news shows. She is among people who spearheaded the Mosque Me Too movement by using the hashtag #MosqueMeToo. (source)

I have been connected to Mona via Twitter for years but only had the chance to meet her last March in NYC when I did a book event. I was over the moon when she accepted the invitation to moderate the session and she impressed me with her professionalism and eloquence. My admiration to her has only grew after I met her.

A group photo with Mona El Tahawi at LAU in NY – March 2022

Joumana Haddad

Joumana Haddad is a Lebanese author, public speaker, journalist and human rights activist. She has been selected as one of the world’s 100 most powerful Arab women by Arabian Business Magazine for her cultural and social activism. In 2021, she was on Apolitical’s list of 100 most influential people in Gender Policy. (source)

I have been a fan of Joumana for so long! I don’t know exactly when I fall in love with her. Probably when I first saw her talking in a show she hosted on New TV about gender and sexual issues. I then read her “Superman” and was impressed with her boldness and courage. Joumana is a legend and I was honored to appear in her show “Al Mamnoo3” (Forbidden) on Al Horra TV in 2019. At the time, my book Laila got banned from entering Jordan and Joumana gave me her support in this special interview that I will never forget.

My interview with Joumana Haddad on Al Horra News Channel in 2019

Shereen El Feki

Shereen El Feki is journalist and author, most notable for her book Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World (source).

I first met Shereen at Global Salzburg Forum in 2013. I remember flying to Salzburg from the UK when I was doing my masters to attend the forum. She arrived for a short time for her session and I was impressed with the way she speaks. She was promoting her newly launched book “Sex and the Citadel”, and I was intrigued when she told me that feminists groups in Beirut recommended “Arous Amman” to her. Later on, in 2016, when the English version “The Bride of Amman” came out in English, she was generous enough to write me a book blurb. I was also hosted by Basira in London for a book event, and she accepted our invitation to join the talk, which makes me happy, till today.

With Nahla Al Ajeli and Shereen Al Feki – London 2016
Shereen El Feki book blurb for The Bride of Amman
by Fadi Zaghmout

My visit to the University of Alabama


I wanted to write about this earlier but didn’t have the chance. I came back from the US last Wednesday. It was an amazing trip and I had a great time visiting the University of Alabama. It wouldn’t have happened without Cheryl Toman, Professor of French and Chair, Modern Languages and Classics. She is such a sweet heart and I am very thankful to her for inviting me.

In front of the library at The University of Alabama

It all started two years ago, in early 2020 when Cheryl messaged me on Facebook, telling me that she is teaching The Bride of Amman to her students at the University of Alabama in a special course about women in literature. I was thrilled to know this and she was planning to take her students on a trip to Jordan. She asked me if I will be there and meet them. Unfortunately that trip didn’t happen as we were hit with covid. But then fast forward till last summer in July 2021 when I did my book signing for the French version of the book L’Epouse D’Amman, I was surprised to see her attending the event. I was pleased to meet her in person and we had a chat during the event where she asked me if I’d be interested to visit the University and talk to her students who read the book. I said YES please! and she made it happen.

With Arabic language Students at University of Alabama

I spent 4 amazing days in Tuscaloosa. Cheryl made sure to arrange for a full schedule with students, chairs, professors and lecturers in other departments too. I was blessed to meet so many wonderful people. We started the first day with a talk to students learning Arabic. And I was happy to meet Manasar Al Harethi, lecturer of Arabic, who moved to the US from Saudi Arabia. It was followed by a lunch with Cheryl and Chair of English department, Steve Trout (such a nice guy). And in the afternoon, same day, I met Myles Williamson, a PhD students in the political science department, who is writing his dissertation about global transgender rights. I had such a nice talk with Myles over coffee and was pleased to hear his thoughts about the topic. Later on at night, I was honored to meet the Waleed Hazbun, Professor of Middle Easter Studies, who is mentoring Myles, and generously contributed to the funds that made this trip happen. We met at a nice restaurant where we had a nice dinner with him, his partner Michelle Woodward (managing editor of MERIP/Middle East Report), and his political science colleague Holger Albrecht and his partner Dina Bishara (both teach politics of the Middle East, Dina now teaches at Cornell). I was happy to meet all of them.

A private talk with gender and race department students
A group photo with Utz Mcknight and Cheryl Toman and students of gender and race

I have to admit that the second day at the University was my favorite one. It was the day dedicated to the students of Gender and Race department. I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoyed talking to everyone in this department. Chair of department, Utz Mcknight, is such a wonderful and warm man. He makes everyone comfortable and at ease, and I could see his love and passion towards gender and race and how he embraces his students and empower them. I enjoyed in particular the first session he planned for us, a private talk with the students of the department at the Anderson room. We spent around two hours and had a wonderful and open discussion about gender and race and me and my writings. It was followed by a public talk in LIoyed Hall, which I wasn’t prepared for, but he thankfully tipped me on how to handle it. He said, “use this space the way you like. You can ask the audience for help if you want”. And this is what I did. As I am working on the sequel for Heaven on Earth, my narrator and protagonist is genderless. And since the sequel is set after 100 years from now, I asked the audience about how they see the future of gender. We ended up having a wonderful discussion about the future, all of the recent advances in technology and their potential effect on us. And I got many good insights to help me progress with the book.

Dinner at FIVE restaurant with students from gender and race department.

The day ended with a nice dinner and informal talk with the students of the department where Utz made sure I mingle with all of them. He was monitor the time and my location, and every few minutes, he kept on reminding that I need to switch table. Thanks to him, it was a memorable night.

I don’t want to forget to mention that Cheryl didn’t forget to hook me up with other professors during the lunches and I was honored to meet Alicia Cipria, Spanish Professor and Allesandra Montalbano, Italian professor in second day. And also Gina Stamm and Jennifer Car, French Professors, in third day. Amazing women, all of them.

We were looking forward to the last day as it was the day dedicated to Cheryl’s students who actually read the book. Cheryl planned two sessions, one for the students who read the book in English and the other one for those who read it in French. Unfortunately, the French class didn’t happen as we had a tornado warning. The University had to close early and everyone was advised to go and stay home that evening. Nevertheless, it was a great session with those students who read the book in English. I was so pleased to hear their feedback and answer their questions. Such smart students, full of curiosity and passion. I was happy to hear from them about their insights on women and gender from their own surroundings. We forgot to take photos from this session but you can find more photos of my US trip on my Instagram account.

It was an unforgettable visit. I had a great time and loved everyone I met. Despite the mainstream thinking of Alabama as a conservative state, the University is such a progressive heaven. I loved every moment of my stay there.

by Fadi Zaghmout

Midlife crisis is real


I posted last week on Facebook a status update saying “Midlife crisis is real”. I added an emoji with crying eyes to it, in reflection of my current emotion about it. To date, the post received 13 laughing emoji and 5 hugs emoji in reactions. And while it was in my intention to have this tone of sarcasm for my new hands-on discovery, in truth, these days, I feel the need of more hugs than laughs.

One of the commentators pointed out that calling it a crisis is an exaggeration and that we remain the same person no matter how long we stay on this earth. For those who know me, I am all for positive thinking and for ideas that make one feels better. I have always been and will always be (hopefully). Nevertheless, I have to admit, it is not as easy as it used to be. And I have to say, that mid-life feelings/emotions/state of mind has took me by surprise. I used to hear the term before, but never really thought about what it really means and how it affects the life of the individual. It is widely used to describe men who cheat on their wives with younger women, and that is mostly it when it comes to mainstream usage of the term. But in reality, it is not that simple. And while everyone talk about the difficulties of teenage, no one prepares us to the changes of midlife.

Last month I read a book titled “The Seven Ages of Death” for Dr. Richard Sheperd, which is by the way a very good read that I highly recommend, in which Dr. Richard who is a forensic pathologist takes on a journey highlighting the most common causes of death in each stage of human life. In mid-age, he shows, that it is actually suicide from depression or homicide from a partner. That should give us an idea about the seriousness of the changes on have to deal with in mid age.

Like teenage, there is a shift in identity and there is a shift in body image and self perception. And while, current trends of exercise and eating healthy, keep us feeling younger longer, we do feel that it is not like before. Our bodies changes, albeit slowly, but also our own definition of ourselves. Are we still young after reaching 40? The lines are blurred and the time is ticking. Lifestyle changes and future worries.

I was blessed to have a very smooth teenage. I didn’t actually feel it much and didn’t get myself into much trouble. Probably I had lived those images late in my teenage when I got to the university but that was a period when my parents where still young. I lived with them and I had their full love and support. The future didn’t worry me much.

Fast forward to mid-age, I lost my father last year due to covid, and I am still struggling with it. My mom is getting older and she is dealing with chronic pain of Rheumatoid Arthritis. I left home 10 years ago and I am living alone in a different city. I have to admit that losing a parent plays a big part in my identity confusion. I am a grown up yes, but I am in my mid-age too.

I have to highlight as well the overwhelming thoughts of life review. I guess mid-age is the time where we look back and assess what we have achieved so far and calculate how many years we still have ahead to give and achieve more. And I have to say that is mostly unsatisfactory to most of us. We compare ourselves to others and highlight our shortages and magnify our worries. For me, I look back at my writing career and feel satisfy for what I have done so far, but on the other hand, I am frustrated with my other career, my full time job that generates the money and sustains my living. I feel behind and I am not happy about it and don’t know what to do. Eventually, I would love to reach to a stage in my life where I am financially independent so that I focus on doing more writing, which I enjoy the most. And it worries me sometimes, if this would ever be possible.

Few weeks back, I was on a table full of friends around my age. One of my friends was talking about old days and how things have changed. I jumped to point out that what she’s going through is midlife crisis. Another friend of mine, who is my age, rushed to ask “who is going through midlife crisis?”. I replied “all of us on the table”.

I guess each of us is dealing it differently or experiencing it in a different way. But mid-age is a period of change. But to conclude on a positive note, while change is always hard, it usually leads to better things.

Bring it on!

Stay calm and keep moving!

by Fadi Zaghmout

Same book – 4 languages


My baby traveled the world.

4 languages in 10 years.

Same book, same stories, same setting, different tongues.

From Amman with love.

عروس عمان 2012

The Bride of Amman – 2015

L’Epouse D’Amman – 2021

La Sposa Di Amman – 2022

by Fadi Zaghmout

ELF session: A Needle and a Thimble [photos]


It was a wonderful session yesterday at the Emirates Literature Festival. I was super happy to see friends, family members, and readers filling the room. My friend, Hani Yakan, did a great job in moderating the session. He introduced me eloquently and was right on point with his question which he masterfully prepared to take us through the one hour session.

He started off with the most important question that lies at the core of the idea of the book and subsequently the discussion of the session. What is gender? Whats the difference between gender as a social construct and sex as a biological one? And from there we moved to talk about the concept of the book. How, building on the complexity of gender and related issues, and its definition of being a set of attributes built over a single biological attribute (sex in our world), I decided to examine it and project it on another world where the human awareness develops differently, to divide gender per height, rather than sex.

That’s the core of the story of “A Needle and a Thimble“, a concept which allowed me to explore gender getting constructed differently. A world where two gender exist; tall people and short ones. A world where gender roles are strict, and attributes are divided per the hight of a person.

After explaining the concept and part of the storyline that takes us through a love relationship between the narrator and middle height (socially rejected) Tawalan. A relationship that follows how the narrator’s gender awareness develops as the storylines unfolds. Hani moved on to ask about important questions related to how I managed to create this parallel world. He asked about the language and the importance of language in developing our gender awareness. Knowing that Arabic language, which I wrote the book in, is a gendered language at its core. He also asked about the solution to the gender issue. Does it lie in a needed revolution, similar to the failed one I presented in the book? or it is an evolutionary process? He also highlighted the gender neutral language forms that started emerging in different languages around the world, asking if that is a natural progression or a forced one?

From there he moved on to asking me about my choice of narrating through women characters in my books, echoing floating criticisms of having male authors using female voices. And here we had the chance to discuss my other books, Laila and The Bride of Amman, which revolve around similar issues we deep sensitive in our society. Some deem them provocative, but that’s the issue of gender now, gender equality, body rights and sexual freedoms are hot topics, and the fight for a more tolerant and just society is a daily struggle.

One of the important questions he asked me is the difference between equality and justice. A discourse that opponents of women rights have been using a lot lately, emphasizing that women are different than men, and consequently it is more important to talk justice than equality. A very critical point here, which I answered from the concept of the book itself, we don’t set different laws for people from different height, do we? when it is clear that in certain situations, people of very tall or very short stature need special attention. In law, people are equal in general, and that what should be applied.

When we opened the questions to the audience, I was happy to hear good feedback from those who read the book. Two sisters said that the book made them realize how silly is the gender issue, when they have been taking it seriously for a long time. Others asked about the impact of creative work in shaping our reality. Which is better starting from reality in creating fictional words, or starting from fictional constructed worlds into shaping ours?

It was an interesting session, a nice discussion, and beautiful audience. Ended with a book signing and a nice dinner with my dear friends who came for support.

A Needle and a Thimble session photos at Emirates Literature Festival 2022
by Fadi Zaghmout

مقابلتي في برنامج مع الإكسبو


سعدت بهذا اللقاء في برنامج مع الإكسبو على تلفزيون دبي مع ولاء الفايق وعبدالله إسماعيل. افتتح عبدالله الحوار بسؤال عن ليلى والحمل إن كانت كتاب للأطفال! 😂 اضطررت توضيح له محتوى الكتاب، ولأن القصة تدور حول جنسانية ليلى، فقد كان علي شرح ذلك، ولكن عند رفع الفيديو على الانترنت تم حذف الكلمات التي تحتوي على كلمة “جنس”. أفهم خصوصية تلفزيون دبي وأذكر في بداية العام الماضي حين ظهرت على تلفزيون رؤيا في عمان للحديث عن رواية إبرة وكشتبان، ولم يتم رفع المقابلة على موقع اليوتيوب خوفاً من محتواها!

مقابلة الكاتب فادي زغموت في برنامج مع الإكسبو