As Though She Were Sleeping

“There has been powerful fiction about Palestinians & by Palestinians, but few have held to the light the myths, tales & rumors of both Israel & the Arabs with such discerning compassion.”— The New York Times Book Review

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An enchanting hymn to the Middle East, infused with the richness & beauty of classical Arabic poetry.

Milia's response to her new husband Mansour & to the Arab World of 1947 is to close her eyes & drift into parallel worlds. Identities shift. Present, past, & future mingle & merge: she finds herself able to converse with the dead & foresee the future. As the novel progresses in glimpses, Milia's dreams become more navigable than the strange & obstinate "reality" in which she finds herself, and the two realms grow ever more entangled. This wondrous tapestry of love, faith, history, poetry, & vision cuts to the very heart of the deep-rooted conflicts of the region & breaks new literary ground.

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Elias Khoury, born in Beirut, is the author of thirteen novels, four volumes of literary criticism, & three plays. He was awarded the Palestine Prize for Gate of the Sun, which was named Best Book of the Year by Le Monde Diplomatique, The Christian Science Monitor, & The San Francisco Chronicle, & a Notable Book by The New York Times. Khoury’s Yalo, White Masks, Little Mountain, The Journey of Little Gandhi, & City Gates are also available in English. Khoury is a Global Distinguished Professor of Middle Eastern & Arabic Studies at New York University, & has taught at Columbia University, the Lebanese University, the American University of Beirut, & the Lebanese American University. As Though She Were Sleeping received France’s inaugural Arabic Novel Prize.