There was and there was not a king and queen who were childless. One day a dervish came by who was selling mountain apples. He cried his produce saying they would help the childless to conceive. The king asked the dervish about the apples. “Will it really do as you say?” “Indeed,” said the holyContinue reading “Palestinian Folktale: Nani, Daughter of Nani.”
Author Archives: Sonia Sulaiman
2021 Published Work
Hey, it’s time for an awards eligibility post; my first proper one! Without further ado, let’s get to the stories, shall we? “From Whole Cloth” is a queerplatonic riff on the Palestinian folktale ‘A Story That Begins and Ends With Lies.’ ArabLit Quarterly: FOLK is available in print, EPUB, and PDF formats. “Muneera and theContinue reading “2021 Published Work”
2022 Anthology/Collection Reading List
I’ve decided I to do a little challenge in 2022. I’ll be reading a bunch of speculative fiction anthologies and collections. Some were recommended on Twitter, or elsewhere, and some I’ve had on the shelf for too long. Putting them down here will help me stay accountable to myself, ~hopefully. Here they are in no particularContinue reading “2022 Anthology/Collection Reading List”
Fairytales from the Holy Land, 2017
I found this gem while looking for printings of Hanauer’s Folk-lore of the Holy Land. There are only six tales but they are told with much passion and vivacity. They really are a delight, besides my joy at finding Palestinian fairy tales I haven’t read before. Some were similar to ones found in other collections.Continue reading “Fairytales from the Holy Land, 2017”
Contes populaires de Palestine, 2003
This little book contains stories found elsewhere, in collections such as Speak, Bird, Speak Again! and Arab Folktales, but there are a few that are new. TABLE Le roi des oiseaux [The King of the Birds] Jloûkoum [Jloukoum] La ruse d’Abou l-Housayn [The Cleverness of Abou Housayn] L’oiselle demoiselle [Little Miss Bird] Châhîn [Shahin] CelleContinue reading “Contes populaires de Palestine, 2003”
Arab Folktales from Palestine and Israel, 1998
Arab Folktales from Palestine and Israel by Raphael Patai. There is a lot to unpack with this one. I could simply say that it is of its time but that wouldn’t really suffice. There is a lot of orientalism here, even at first glance. In general, the approach seems to be that if you readContinue reading “Arab Folktales from Palestine and Israel, 1998”
#AuthorToolBoxBlogHop and… Fairy Tales
Last night I thought that I glanced at a writer’s craft book all about how to transform fairy tales into original fiction. I was wrong, but it did give me an idea for this week’s #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop. 🙂 How *do* you fracture a fairy tale anyway? Take some tips from storytellers, via Vladimir Propp’s Morphology ofContinue reading “#AuthorToolBoxBlogHop and… Fairy Tales”
Les Septs Crins Magiques et Autres Contes de Palestine, 2011
Les Sept Crins Magiques et Autres Contes de Palestine, by Praline Gay-Para and Louise Heugel is a delightful little book. The stories were told originally by Fakhri Habib Ghnayyim of Beit Jala, Taghrid Abou-Srour from Bethlehem, while others are from collections by Inea Bushnaq and Sonia Nimr. Sommaire/ SUMMARY Les deux frères [The Two Brothers]Continue reading “Les Septs Crins Magiques et Autres Contes de Palestine, 2011”
#AuthorToolBoxBlogHop and… Marketing Baby Steps
Marketing is our topic for today’s #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop. Well, this topic seems really strange to me; I’m one of those people who hates marketing. As such, I think it might be useful to talk a little about what holds us back and how we can get ourselves acclimated to the wonderful world of community building. IContinue reading “#AuthorToolBoxBlogHop and… Marketing Baby Steps”
An Illustrated Treasury of Palestinian Folktales Vol. 1, 2014
These stories are a delight. There are princes, princesses, village beauties, jealous cousins, magic, genies, and more all in one tiny book! I immediately told these to the pleasure of my audience who asked if there were more, and there are! This is only the first volume of the collection. I am unsure if theContinue reading “An Illustrated Treasury of Palestinian Folktales Vol. 1, 2014”