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Book review: Pierre Jarawanʹs "The Storyteller"

Reconciling histories

Originally published in German in 2016 at the height of the refugee crisis, Pierre Jarawanʹs debut novel deftly captures the multi-layered existence of those who are forced to leave their homeland. Newly available in English, "The Storyteller" is a moving tale of the quest for personal identity. Richard Marcus read the book
Lebanese comic artist Rawand Issa and "Not from Mars"

Being illegal is unbearable

The Lebanese comic artist Rawand Issa loves black. Her illustrations are satirical, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and above all introspective. Her graphic novels also raise political questions, however, and combine minor everyday emotions with major social issues. By Julia Neumann
Book review: "Always Coca-Cola" by Alexandra Chreiteh

The agony and the allure

Written when the author was only 19, Alexandra Chreiteh's first novel "Always Coca-Cola", focuses in a highly entertaining way on how three young friends in Beirut are affected by Western commercialisation and contemporary beauty ideals. By Volker Kaminski
Interview with SAID

No Straight Whiskey for the Detective

German-Persian author Said has just published a new collection of poems. Here he talks to Claudia Mende about his "Psalms", the Teheran of his childhood and the problems facing the cultural scene in Iran today
Portrait Schahriar Mandanipur

Finding the Source of Misfortune in the Past

Schahriar Mandanipur has brought a new perspective to Iranian literature. His characters often find themselves confronted with extreme situations, thus being forced to grapple with existential issues. A portrait by Bahman Nirumand
Iranian political scientist Sadegh Zibakalam given jail sentence over DW interview

An Iranian court has sentenced Sadegh Zibakalam to 18 months in prison. The prominent political analyst is accused of "spreading lies and propaganda against the Islamic Republic" in an interview he gave to the Deutsche Welle.
Middle East

A new Arab Spring, thanks to the Ukraine war?

The price of bread is rising rapidly in the Middle East, thanks to concerns about wheat supply from Ukraine and Russia. In the past, such increases have led to violent protests and political upheaval. By Cathrin Schaer
War in Ukraine

A food crisis in the MENA region?

With Vladimir Putin’s forces gaining ground in Ukraine, a further increase in the price of bread could severely destabilise MENA countries. Rising costs would inevitably challenge states such as Turkey, which imports essential cereal supplies from Russia and Ukraine. The same applies to most economies in the Arab world, such as Egypt – the world’s largest wheat importer – Algeria, and Tunisia
Ukraine conflict

Will Arab oil save the world from soaring prices?

Sanctions on Russia won't work unless the world reduces its use of Russian oil and gas. But it's difficult to do this without also increasing prices. Middle Eastern oil producers could help. But do they want to? Cathrin Schaer reports
Tunisia's ex-president Moncef Marzouki

The conscience of the Arab Spring

Moncef Marzouki was Tunisia's first democratically elected president after the fall of dictator Ben Ali. Today he is the most prominent critic of increasingly counter-revolutionary developments under President Kais Saied. Commentary by Ali Anouzla