Stories under Occupation and other plays from Palestine – Ed. Samer Al-Saber and Gary M. English

Description

This anthology of contemporary Palestinian plays, created during or after the Second intifada (2000–2005), directly emerges from the physical and psychological realities of israeli occupation, combining activism and critical self-inquiry. Shakespeare’s Sisters introduces us to the subject of the position of women in Palestinian society. Testimony drama in Gaza Mono-Logues and Children of the Camp build upon narratives of those who might have survived the Nakba of 1948 or, more recently, the wars in Gaza. In 3 in 1, the characters use the same names as the actors to create a fictionalized version of the actors’ lives. Similarly, Stories under Occupation produces a meta-textual effect in which the characters and the actors’ identities as Palestinians merge. While The Siege recounts events surrounding the 39-day siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem by israeli Defense Forces in 2002, Taha is based on the life of a Palestinian poet and relates the story of his journey through the tragedies of the Nakba to his later years of fame. This is the first time plays from a number of Palestinian theatres across different parts of Palestine have been anthologized in English, and this collection will inspire those who want to produce new work, read diverse dramatic literature and study the ways theatre contributes to the public forum of ideas.