Tag / Imagining the future

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

A reward and punishment VR system – imagining the future Black Mirror style


The future might be both, beyond our wildest dreams, and so much familiar where it manifests many of our beliefs and traditions. With the exponential advancement of AI and technology, it would be near impossible to predict what is coming our way.


But understanding the power of human beliefs and imaginations and how persistent it can be, and coupling that with the powers of our future technologies of AI, VR and censoring, let’s imagine the following scenario:


For those who still believe in heaven and in hell, who believe in reward and punishment in a world where aging does no longer exist and death is far more rare. You don’t have to worry!


I have a solution.


We can run a mini experiment and create the world you think is fair and true. To assist the angels on your left and right shoulders, we will create artificial invisible angels, planted on your shoulders to log whatever action you do. They will be ran by an advance AI that can asses every single action, collect data from your body and brain activities, and determine if the action should be logged in your deeds or sins records.


This can start any moment, from the day of your birth, or the day you subscribe to our service. It will also have a time limit. We recommend 100 years. After which, your judgement day will arrive. But don’t worry, we can do it in groups, or patches, so it can feel real, with a real judgment day for all. And we can keep the date a secret that no one knows.


On your judgment day, the AI will measure your balance and how it tips. It will determine if you have been a good person or a bad one. And accordingly, it will channel you to one of our afterlife chambers; the VR chamber of Hell or the VR chamber of Heaven.


In Heaven, you will be seated comfortably in a perfect room and you will delve into an experience of joy that you have never thought of. Your body will be monitored all the time to ensure your safety. Your mind will be constantly induced with happy hormones. And your imagination will be living the Heaven you always dreamt of and longed for. You will not feel time, because there is not time in Heaven.


In Hell, we will burn you “virtually” to atone your sins. You will be tortured to the highest levels your body can endure. We will repeat that constantly, every time till you lose your consciousness, and reset once you wake up again. All in a safe environment, with your body tightened into a comfortable chair and sensors that can guarantee you would never die.
Who is up for this? Add your name in the comments!


– This can either be a Black Mirror episode or a blue print for a sequel for my Heaven on Earth