The Horse’s Wife - A Short Story by Ahlam Bsharat Translated by Emre Bennett - 2021 - Included in The Book of Ramallah- A City in Short Fiction- edited and introduced by Maya Abu Al-Hayat

 

The City of Ramallah, population about 70,000, is located in the West Bank area of Palestine, has become a focal point of world wide media This Anthology was published prior to the initiation of the current conflict. In the very informative elegant introduction Maya Abu Al-Hayat tells us the literary history of the city going back to the 16th century up to 2021. She has selected a quite diverse range of stories but each one is informed by the impact of violence brought upon the city from Isreal. The time eras of the stories range from the 1960s to 2021 so political arrangements may vary in stories.

One thing that has happened for 1000s of years is young men armed against much weaker opposition often turn into petty tyrants and sadists. This is magnified when those in authority dehumanise  the enemy.

Ahlam Bsharat’s story is set much closer to the present day, in the current pandemic, and the only one in the book set wholly indoors. It depicts the isolation of a woman who has left her village to work in Ramallah, now living alone in a flat in Umm Al-Sharayet, one of Ramallah’s more run-down neighbourhoods. Denied the love and companionship of an ordinary relationship, she embarks on an affair with a horse. In the surrealism of Bsharat’s well-woven tale we could be forgiven for thinking this love story is the city’s only reality.

Ahlam Bsharat is a Palestinian writer who grew up in a village in Northern Palestine. She completed her Master’s Degree in Arabic Literature at An-Najah National University in Nablus. Besides poetry, picture books, short stories, novels, and memoirs, she has written a number of television and radio scripts. Her books have received many awards and recommendations. Ismee Alharakee Farasha (Code Name: Butterfly) was included in the IBBY Honor List for 2012, a biennial selection of outstanding, recently published books from more than seventy countries. Ismee Alharakee Farasha and Ashjaar lil-Naas al-Ghaa’ibeen (Trees for the Absentees) were both runners up for the Etisalat Award For Children’s Arabic Literature in 2013. Code Name: Butterfly was shortlisted for the UK-based Palestine Book Awards in 2017.

Mel Ulm 

City Girl is a 1930 American silent film directed by F. W. Murnau, and starring Charles Farrell and Mary Duncan. It is based upon the play "The Mud Turtle" by Elliot Lester. Though shot as a silent feature, the film was refitted with some sound elements and released in 1930

 Available on YouTube 

Edit City Girl is a 1930 American silent film directed by F. W. Murnau, and starring Charles Farrell and Mary Duncan. It is based upon the play "The Mud Turtle" by Elliot Lester. Though shot as a silent feature, the film was refitted with some sound elements and released in 1930.

F.W. Murnau, (born December 28, 1889, Bielefeld, Germany)

Moved to California in 1926 - he made three silent films for Fox Studios before forming his own company 

—died March 11, 1931, Hollywood, California, - from injuries in an Automobile accident 

City Girl was shot on location in Athena and Pendleton, Oregon, and was Murnau's third and final Hollywood production. It was released shortly after the introduction of sound films, and was quickly shelved. As a result, the film is relatively unknown today.

However, City Girl is a beautiful and moving film that deserves to be rediscovered. It is a simple story, but it is told with great skill and sensitivity. The film's performances are excellent, and Murnau's direction is masterful.

The acting is emotional and effective, and the cinematography is breathtaking. In spite of the exceptionality of the film, it wasn't a success at the time of its release. However, that can likely be explained by the fact that the version we are seeing today is as director F.W. Murnau intended - a gloriously beautiful silent narrative. Unfortunately, what the audiences saw in 1930 was a bastardized version that had talkie sequences added and comedy inserted -- all after Murnau refused to make any changes to his silent creation. 

There is an excellent plot summary on the link below 

https://www.silentsaregolden.com/featurefolder10/citygirlcommentary.html

Films by German directors are an important part of post World War One German Culture, from the groundbreaking silent classics of the Weimar Republic to the movies of Leni Reisenthal in celebration of Nazi rule, beloved by Goebels, to modern Oscar winners, I am pleased to see German Literature Month XIII now welcomes posts on Films by German Directors

This is a post for German Literature Month XIII 2023 November 1 to December 7

German Literature Month is hosted by Lizzy’s Literary Life

https://lizzysiddal2.wordpress.com/2023/09/22/announcing-german-literature-month-xiii/

 

Sumurun (One Arabian Night) - A 1920 German Silent Movie Directed by Ernst Lubitsch- 1 Hour 42 Minutes- starring Pola Negri

 Available on YouTube 

Ernst lubitsch 

Born: January 29, 1892, Berlin, Germany - produces 65 silent films before moving to America

1922 Moves to Hollywood- Warner Pictures Signed him to a three year six picture contract

Died: November 30, 1947, Los Angeles, California, United States

Lubitsch directed two of my favourite movies, Ninotchka and To Be or Not to Be.

"Only Negri—very beautiful—and the majestic Paul Wegener, with his riveting Tartar features, manage to make any impression at all. As with the fling with Egyptiania represented by The Eyes of the Mummy Ma, an Arabian Nights setting is simply not Lubitsch material. Except for a few moments—eunuchs sitting in a geometrically perfect row formation—the film is bereft of the director’s typical playfulness; at this still-developing stage of his career, he lacks the flair needed to integrate a dramatic narrative with such a frankly fanciful, fairy-tale environment.' From Ernst Lubitsch Laughter in Paradise by Scott Eyman 

I imagine Edward Said would find Sumurun an example of "orientalism".

Sumurun is a lavish and exotic tale of love, betrayal, and revenge set in the Arabian desert.

Sumurun tells the story of a beautiful slave girl who falls in love with a cloth merchant. However, the jealous hunchback Yeggar (played by Lubitsch himself) also desires her and makes things difficult for the couple.

The film is based on a pantomime by Friedrich Freksa and was highly praised by critics in Germany. It was described as a "cinematic journey into a universe of emotions and passions of great intensity and utter perfection, with a remarkable Ernst Lubitsch in one of the main roles."

Get Out of My House - A Short Story by Ziad Khadash- Translated by Raph Cormack 2021 - Included in The Book of Ramallah- A City in Short Fiction- edited and introduced by Maya Abu Al-Hayat

 The City of Ramallah, population about 70,000, is located in the West Bank area of Palestine, has become a focal point of world wide media  This Anthology was published prior to the initiation of the current conflict. In the very informative elegant introduction Maya Abu Al-Hayat tells us the literary history of the city going back to the 16th century up to 2021. She has selected a quite diverse range of stories but each one is informed by the impact of violence brought upon the residents of Ramallah by contacf with Isrealis.

‘Get Out of my House’, tells of a man who comes home to find a strange woman in his house who is adamant that it’s her house and that he has to leave before her husband returns. Here we glimpse the ephemeral life of the refugee, returning from his home in the camp, leaving his library behind to be ruined by soldiers going through his stuff, and living alone in a city he doesn’t belong where he has to continually prove his identity or his innocence.

There are numerous ways of trying to escape mentally from a Chaotic dangerous environment over which you have little control. In this story we see how this attempt can destroy mental health 

Ziad Khadash is a Palestinian writer. He was born in 1964 in the village of Beit Nabala, and lives in the Jalazoun refugee camp near Ramallah. Khadash holds a BA in Arabic literature from the University of Jordan and works as a creative writing teacher in schools in Ramallah. He is author of 12 short story collections, the most recent of which was Overwhelmed by Laughter (House of Everything, Haifa). His story ‘Wonderful Reasons to Cry’ was shortlisted for the 2015 Kuwaiti Al-Multaqa Prize for the Short Story.

Mel Ulm

 

Secrets Stroll the City’s Streets - A Short Story by Ahmed Jaber- Translated by Adam Talib 2021 - Included in The Book of Ramallah- A City in Short Fiction- edited and introduced by Maya Abu Al-Hayat

 The City of Ramallah, population about 70,000, is located in the West Bank area of Palestine, has become a focal point of world wide media attention. It is under the control of Isreal. This Anthology was published prior to the initiation of the current conflict. In the very informative elegant introduction Maya Abu Al-Hayat tells us the literary history of the city going back to the 16th century up to 2021. She has selected a quite diverse range of stories but each one is informed by the actions of isreali in the city.

One thing that has happened for 1000s of years is young men armed against much weaker opposition often turn into petty tyrants and sadists. This is magnified when those in authority dehumanise the enemy.

Today's story, " Stroll the Streets" by Ahmed Jaber, four pages, is narrated in a very creative fashion. The city of Ramallah is speaking to the reader as well as a street sweeper going about his day. Maybe it is in the mind of the sweeper caused by his great love for Ramallah.  I found it gratifying to follow him on his rounds.  He has a limp and we learn why: 

""He examines the empty streets, which remind him of the First and Second Intifadas. These streets were full of rocks and planks and the remains of burnt tyres back then. He remembers the days and nights he’d spent fighting to keep the Israeli Army Jeeps from entering the city. He thinks about everything he did for me, the city he loves. How he defended me as a resistance fighter and how a bullet in his upper thigh had caused the limp he has now, how he refused to leave me to go work in the Gulf, and how these days he wakes up earlier than most of his neighbours in order to get me ready to meet them like a son changing places with his mother."

Ahmad Jaber holds a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering and is a winner of the Abdul Qattan Foundation Award for Young Writer 2017 for his story collection Mr. Azraq in the Cinema. He has published stories in many local websites and newspapers.

Mel Ulm 

Lady Windermere's Fan - A 1925 Silent Film Directed by Ernst Lubitsch- 1 Hour 36 minutes- based on Oscar Wilde's 1892 Play

 Lady Windermere's Fan - A 1925 Silent Film Directed by Ernst Lubitsch- 1 Hour 36 minutes- based on Oscar Wilde's 1892 Play

Ernst lubitsch 

Born: January 29, 1892, Berlin, Germany - produces 65 silent films before moving to America

1922 Moves to Hollywood- Warner Pictures Signed him to a three year six picture contract

Died: November 30, 1947, Los Angeles, California, United States

Lubitsch directed two of my favourite movies, Ninotchka and To Be or Not to Be.

The film tells the story of Lady Windermere (McAvoy), a young woman who suspects her husband, Lord Windermere (Bert Lytell), of having an affair with the notorious Mrs. Erlynne (Rich). When Mrs. Erlynne arrives in London, Lady Windermere becomes convinced that her suspicions are true and decides to leave her husband. However, Mrs. Erlynne reveals that she is actually Lady Windermere's mother, and that she has returned to protect her daughter from making the same mistakes she did.

Lubitsch's film is a masterfully crafted adaptation of Wilde's play. He captures the wit and social satire of the original work, while also adding his own touch of visual flair. The film's silent format allows Lubitsch to use expressive gestures and close-ups to great effect, and his use of light and shadow is particularly striking.

The film was a major critical and commercial success. It was praised for its direction, acting, and technical achievements. It was also a box office hit, grossing over $1 million worldwide.

Lubitsch's film is a masterfully crafted adaptation of Wilde's play. He captures the wit and social satire of the original work, while also adding his own touch of visual flair. The film's silent format allows Lubitsch to use expressive gestures and close-ups to great effect, and his use of light and shadow is particularly striking.

Films by German directors are an important part of post World War One German Culture, from the groundbreaking silent classics of the Weimar Republic to the movies of Leni Reisenthal in celebration of Nazi rule, beloved by Goebels, to modern Oscar winners, I am pleased to see German Literature Month XIII now welcomes posts on Films by German Directors

This is a post for German Literature Month XIII 2023 November 1 to December 7

German Literature Month is hosted by Lizzy’s Literary Life

https://lizzysiddal2.wordpress.com/2023/09/22/announcing-german-literature-month-xiii/

 

Secrets Stroll the City’s Streets - A Short Story by Ahmed Jaber - Translated by Adam Talib - 2021 - Included in The Book of Ramallah- A City in Short Fiction- edited and introduced by Maya Abu Al-Hayat

 

The City of Ramallah, population about 70,000, is located in the West Bank area of Palestine, has become a focal point of world wide media attention. This Anthology was published prior to the initiation of the current conflict. In the very informative elegant introduction Maya Abu Al-Hayat tells us the literary history of the city going back to the 16th century up to 2021. She has selected a quite diverse range of stories but each one is informed by the occupation of the city.

Looking back through history, references to Ramallah can be found in records as old as Crusader artefacts. Archaeological evidence suggests there was a village here at least as early as the 16th century, under Ottoman rule, and that it began to thrive towards the end of that era, with the first town council recorded convening in 1908. The name ‘Ramallah’ can be traced back to at least 1186 and is formed from the conjunction of the words raam, meaning hill, and Allah, meaning God.

In Mahmoud Shukeir’s story the protagonist tries to convince himself that he is a man of the city now and that he can do anything that the city’s residents do. Set in the 1960s, when Ramallah was under Jordanian rule but with Israel’s expansionist war drums beating over the horizon, it portrays secret political parties and movements and the first acts of resistance heralded by revolutionary communiqués and protests: a time when identity transcended all. 

Mahmoud Shukair was born in Jerusalem in 1941 and is one of the best-known short story writers in the Arab world, and his stories have been translated into numerous languages. His 45 books include nine short story collections and 13 books for children. He has also written extensively for television, theatre, and print and online media. In 2011, he was awarded the Mahmoud Darwish Prize for Freedom of Expression. His 2016 novel Praise for the Women of the Family was nominated for the IPAF. He has previously been the editor-in-chief of the weekly Jerusalem newspaper Al-Taliah.