The Journals of Sarab Affan

Set during the first intifada, this sophisticated, graceful love story—the final work of Palestinian author and literary critic Jabra (1920–1994)—is a hallmark of contemporary Arabic literature. Sarab (Arabic for "illusion"), an impetuous young woman, stalks Nael, a famous author (and widower) whose works she has cherished since youth. After a charged elevator ride together, the two meet discreetly (at first) in a favorite cafe. Jabra presents their story as two interwoven first-person accounts and plays with remarkable subtlety on the gap between projections and the real. Sarab creates a fictional alter ego, Randa, with whom she taunts Nael. He, part of a circle of intellectuals, talks through the major political issues facing the Arab world; Sarab, entering this discussion as a political naïf, ends up a revolutionary. Jabra is after something subtle—the power of fiction in creating human emotions: in his world, love is imagined, and the written word is necessary for salvation. (Mar.)