Category / Arabic Literature

by Fadi Zaghmout

كلمة أمل خلال احتفاليّة مرور مائة عام على تأسيس متحف المستقبل – أمل على الأرض


الفصل العشرون

لا يختلف اليوم عن الأمس

شعرت بشيء من الرّهبة وأنا أخطو نحو المنصّة وأقف خلفها استعدادًا لإلقاء كلمتي التي حضّرت لها منذ أسابيع. بدا لي المشهد سرياليًا حول مبنى المتحف المبهر للبصر، الذي أضيء بقوّة أكبر من العادة احتفالًا بمرور مائة عام على تأسيسه وأمامي جلس الحضور في مقاعد متراصفة ضمّت أصحاب السمّو من الشّيوخ والأمراء والملوك، وأصحاب المعالي والسّعادة من الوزراء والشّخصيّات العامّة البارزة. فوق رؤوسهم انطلقت أسراب من الدرونات المضيئة لتضيف سحرًا على سحر المكان.

شددت هامتي واستجمعت شجاعتي. نظرت إلى ماجدة بين الحضور وارتحت لحضورها والقيت كلمتي:

صاحب السّمو.. حاكم دبي..

أصحاب السمو والمعالي..

الحضور الكريم..

السّلام عليكم ورحمة اللّه وبركاته..

نرحّب بكم اليوم في هذا الحفل الخاص بمناسبة مرور المئويّة الأولى على تأسيس متحف المستقبل..

هذا الصّرح العلمي المميّز الذي أنشئ قبل مئة عام، استشرافًا للمستقبل ومنارة للمعرفة..

أجمل مبنى في العالم..

ازداد بريقًا مع مرور الوقت..

سنة بعد سنة..

متحالفًا مع الأيام..

متحدًّا مع المستقبل..

مرسّخًا من مكانته.. مزار عالميّ ومركز فكريّ.. لكل باحث ومفكّر ومُتطلّع للمستقبل.. 

طالما كان بيتًا للمستقبل.. وواحة لمن ينظرون إلى الأمام.. 

هكذا رآه سمو الشّيخ محمد بن راشد.. وهكذا كان..

تعلّمنا من سموّه أهميّة دراسة المستقبل واستشرافه..

لأنّ الأمم التي لا تتخيّل مستقبلها لا تملك القدرة على صنعه..

أراد لنا سموّه استئناف الحضارة..

وهكذا كان حين أسّس لدبي كي تسبق مدن العالم..

ما أعاد إحياء حُب شعوب المنطقة للعلم والبحث والمنطق والعقل..

وأطلق سباقًا بين المُدن العربيّة لتنهض وتنافس دول العالم الأخرى في العمل والإنجاز والابتكار..

لا شيء مستحيل..

الشّعار الذي أطلقه سمّوه.. أصبح واقعًا..

شاهدناه يتحقق أمام أعيننا في القرن الماضي..

بعدما احتضنت المنطقة شركات التكنولوجيا الحيويّة والذّكاء الاصطناعي وعلوم المستقبل..

وتصدّرت دول العالم في إيجاد حلول للتحدّيات العالميّة…

تمّ إنقاذ الأرض من خطر الاحتباس الحراري..

وأوجدنا حلولًا عمليّة للانفجار السّكاني..

وباتت شيخوخة دول العالم المتقدّم في خبر كان..

قضينا على الأمراض التي كانت تخيف إنسان القرن الماضي..

وانتصرنا على الموت..

أضحينا كائنات كونيّة متعددة الكواكب حين استوطنا المرّيخ..

وأسسنا أوّل مدينة عربيّة عليه..

تحوي سكّانًا عربًا وترفع راية الإسلام..

سمعنا في مآذنها صوت التكبير يرن..

فوق رمال الكوكب الأحمر..

الله أكبر.. الله أكبر..

صاحب السّمو..

أصحاب السمّو والمعالي..

الحضور الكريم..

الله أكبر..

لا شيء مستحيل..

علّمتنا السنوات أنّه مع الإنجازات تأتي التّحدّيات..

وأنّ الاختراعات البشرية حادّة كالسيوف..

وتحمل وجهين..

وجه للخير.. وآخر للشر..

 وجه للبناء.. وآخر للهدم..

وعينا إلى أنّ الإنسان هو الإنسان مهما تحوّلت المعطيات الحياتيّة وتغيّرت الظّروف..

فما يميّز الإنسان، يا سادة يا كرام، عن مخلوقات الكون الأخرى هي قدرته على الإيمان..

حريّته بالإيمان المطلق..

بأيّ شيء..

بما في ذلك الإيمان بأمور غيبيّة.. وأمور وهميّة.. وأمور قاتلة..

رأينا في السّنوات السابقة كيف امتلأت العوالم الافتراضيّة بعصابات وحركات اجتماعيّة وطوائف دينيّة مستحدثة..

تفسّر الأديان السّماويّة على هواها..

وتؤسس أديانًا جديدة لم نسمع عنها سابقًا..

منها الغريب ومنها المتطرّف.. منها ما يحاول إعادة عجلة الزّمن.. ومنها ما يحاول حبسنا في زمن غابر وأيّام ولّى عليها الزّمن..

وكما اعتلت الحركات المتطرّفة في الماضي ظهر الإسلام.. نراها اليوم تحاول مجدّدًا..

مسلّحة بالتكنولوجيا الحديثة..

وبقدرات أكبر من أيّ زمن مضى..

لا يختلف اليوم عن الأمس..

فحين افتتح هذا المتحف أبوابه قبل مائة عام كانت الدّول العربيّة لا تزال تعاني من مظاهر التّطرّف الديني..

منها ما تدمّر وقتها ومنها ما كان يقاوم الانهيار..

واليوم نجد مظاهر التطرّف الديني عادت لتعمّ على الشّعوب العربيّة..

وبتنا نسمع عن حركات متطرّفة تجيد اللعب السيّاسي..

وتضع أمام أعينها هدف الوصول إلى سدّة الحكم..

لتتحكم في مصائرنا وتفرض علينا صورتها الخاصّة لما يجب أن تكون عليه الحياة في الدّنيا..

وفي الآخرة..

من هذه المنصّة.. من بيت المستقبل هذا..

اسمحوا لي أن أرفع صوتي..

وأنادي القيادات العربيّة للنهوض والتّصدّي للخطر المحدّق بنا..

علينا التمسّك بحقوق الإنسان وإعلاء راية الحريّات الفرديّة..

واحترام الخصوصيّة..

وحريّة الاختيار..

والانتباه إلى خطر الرّضوخ لقرارات الخوارزميّات وسيطرتها على مصير ومستقبل المجتمعات البشريّة..

اسمحوا لي أن أُطلق صرختي هنا..

من هذا المنبر العظيم..

وكلّي أمل أن تأتي الحلول..

كما تعوّدناها..

من هذه المدينة المستقبليّة..

لتبقى دبي كما عوّدتنا..

بلدًا للانفتاح والتعايش والتسامح..

بلدًا للقانون والحرّيات..

للأمن والأمان..

المدينة التي لا مكان للتّطرف فيها ولا للتعصب..

ولا الأيدولوجيّات الخطرة..

شكرًا لكم..

والسّلام عليكم ورحمة اللّه وبركاته..

by Fadi Zaghmout

أمل على الأرض متاحة للقراءة من خلال تطبيق أبجد


شكراً فريق أبجد على اتاحة الرواية بهذه السرعة وعلى التعريف الرائع بها واختيارها ككتاب اليوم.

النص التالي كما نشر على مواقع التواصل لأبجد

لماذا لم تستغفر عن ذنبك خلال الـ8 ساعات التالية له كما هو محدد؟

الآن ستسجله الشريحة الإلكترونية في سجل سيئاتك إلى الأبد، وقد ينتهي الأمر بوضع عقلك في جحيم صناعي لمدة 100 عام!

حين احتفينا بالتطور المذهل في الذكاء الصناعي والقدرة على الخلود في الشباب الدائم وإعادة استنساخ الموتى، لم نكن نتصور أن تصل الأمور لدرجة تعاون علماء الشريعة والتكنولوجيا في خلق جنة وجحيم صناعيين، ولا أن تتحول الرحمة والاستغفار لمعادلات محسوبة بدقة!

عد مرور 9 أعوام على صدور الجزء الأول #جنة_على_الأرض يشبع الكاتب “فادي زغموت” فضول قراءه بمزيد من الأحداث، ويفاجئنا جميعاً بالجزء الثاني #أمل_على_الأرض التي تثير العديد من الأسئلة الفلسفية والممتعة عن المستقبل الذي ينتظرنا جميعاً وأخلاقيات الذكاء الصناعي.

الرواية تتبع تصنيف الخيال العلمي وتدور أحداثها في العام 2123.

صادرة عن الدار الأهلية للنشر والتوزيع ومتاحة الآن على أبجد:

قراءة شيقة في #رمضان_مع_أبجد

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

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

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

L’homosexualité dans le roman arabe : le triomphe de la moquerie


I like this article entitled “Homosexuality and the Arab Novel”, originally posted on Arablit blog by Marcia Lynx Qualey in English in 2015 and now translated and posted in French by Etienne Gomez.

Translator's Lodge

Par Marcia Lynx Qualey

L’Épouse d’Amman, traduit de l’arabe par Davide Knecht, L’Asiathèque, 2021.

Le premier roman du blogueur Fadi Zaghmout,L’Épouse d’Amman, en 2012, a été un événement bienvenu.

Pas seulement le roman, d’ailleurs, mais aussi le brio avec lequel Fadi Zaghmout l’a présenté dans les médias. Nadia Muhanna évoque ainsi sur son blog une interview à la télévision jordanienne quelques mois après la publication. La présentatrice ayant qualifié un personnage gay deshaz, Fadi Zaghmout a corrigé ce terme offensant par «muthley». À la fin de l’interview, la présentatrice utilisait un «vocabulaire plus inclusif».

Le roman cadencé de Fadi Zaghmout, traduit en français par Davide Knecht (2021), sert un projet social autant que littéraire, plaidant sans radicalité pour une plus grande liberté sexuelle et de genre. La lecture donne le sentiment que le plus important pour l’auteur n’était pas tant d’écrire un grand…

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by Fadi Zaghmout

Janna Ala Al Ard is getting an Italian translation by Future Fiction


I am happy to share this good news by the end of this year. I just signed an agreement with Italian SF publisher Future Fiction for the rights to translate and publish Janna Al Ard (Heaven on Earth) from Arabic into the Italian language.

On their website, Future Fiction writes:

We give voice to stories from the future, inclusive narratives from over 30 countries and 10 different languages, which explore the ambiguous relationship between human beings and technology, the transformations of personal identity and social organization, the encounter between humanity and the scarcity or abundance of resources: visions that peer into every possible future.

I admire what Francesco Verso, co-founder of Future Fiction, has been doing in bringing voices of the future from all over the world together, and I feel more than proud to be one for these voices.

Future Fiction is a home for many of us who try to imagine the future.

Janna will be my second book to come out in Italian, after Arous Amman (The Bride of Amman) which is planned for Jan 2022 release by MReditori.

Janna was first released in Arabic by Dar Al Adab in 2014, translated to English by Sawad Hussain and published by Signal 8 Press in 2018. 

About Heaven on Earth:

The year: sometime in the 2090s. The location: Jordan. Aging is reversible thanks to major advances in bioscience and nanotechnology. But in a world where eternal youth has become a reality, complications arise. Journalist Janna Abdallah is at the forefront of these changes: her brother Jamal contributed to many of the medical advances that have brought such profound changes to humanity over the past few decades, yet he has chosen to forego age suppression in order to experience a natural death. Because reproduction is strictly regulated, the opportunity to create new life throws the Abdallah family into turmoil. Fadi Zaghmout’s best-selling debut novel The Bride of Amman was groundbreaking for its intimate, sympathetic treatment of women’s issues, homosexuality, and marriage in the Middle East. Heaven on Earth is no less revolutionary, at once a searingly personal account of one family’s struggle to embrace the future that is now, and also a look at the way Jordanian society has had to reimagine itself at the end of the twenty-first century.

More on Future Fiction:

Future Fiction is a cultural association of social promotion founded by Francesco Verso and Francesco Mantovani. Our project aims to disseminate and promote an interdisciplinary approach to the idea of ​​the future, using science fiction and speculation as bridges between today and tomorrow: a multicultural and transmedia laboratory of narratives that explore the ambiguous and symbiotic relationship between man and technology.

With the ambition of mapping the other “tomorrows” declined by every culture and tradition, Future Fiction organizes and participates in seminars, workshops, conferences, and congresses in Italy and around the world on highly topical issues related to innovation, anticipation, and speculation, thus contributing to the debate with articles, essays, novels, and anthologies, both printed and digital.

After more than 160 digital publications and 50 paper books, the project has become an excellent aggregator of content and a place of discovery for anyone who sees tomorrow, not only dismal dystopias and unlikely apocalypses but also an analysis and entertainment tool to find orientation. , among the incredible transformations that are increasingly impacting humanity at all levels, from the technological to the biopolitical, social, economic, and environmental.

by Fadi Zaghmout

Launching L’Epouse D’Amman in Paris [Photos]


I finally had the chance to travel to Paris for a quick visit where I met “L’Epouse D’Amman” translator Davide Knecht, editor Thomas Scholari, and publisher Philippe Thiollier (and his lovely mother who started the publishing house and proof read the French translation), as well as Clara Pero who is handling the communications and PR at L’asiatheque and doing a wonderful job at it.

Philippe kindly hosted me at their bookstore L’asiatheque for a book launch event where we read few passages from the book in both French and Arabic, presented the story and characters, and discussed the topic the book tackles. It was a very lovely night and we had a beautiful crowd. And I was particularly happy to finally meet Cheryl Toman, Professor of French and Chair, Modern Languages and Classics at The University of Alabama, which was a very pleasant surprise. Cheryl contacted me more than a year ago informing me that she has been teaching the book to her students and planning a visit to Jordan for the group. At the time I couldn’t make it to Jordan, neither did they as covid happened. Fortunately, we had the chance to meet in Paris. My good friends Naji Haddadin and Mohammed Sleeq joined and Naji put on the photographer hat and took these beautiful shots (more photos on my Instagram page).

I had also the chance to pass by L’Institute Du Monde Arabe bookshop and Gibert Joseph bookstore, and was happy to see them selling the book.