"Return to Salé," an excerpt from Le Bastion des Larmes Returning to Salé, his hometown in Morocco, a writer and educator is haunted by the voice of a gay lover, who insists on being remembered.

🌙 [TMR 50 • RETURNING HOME]

In “Return to Salé” by Abdellah Taïa, trans. by Jordan Elgrably, a haunting dream draws Youssef back to Morocco—and to memories of queer love, poetry, and the forest of his youth.

📖 Read: bit.ly/return-to-sal...


#TMR50 #QueerArabVoices

Looking for a Job, Living and Dying in Iran: The Logistics of Going Back Not even escalating tensions between Israel and Iran could stop one wayward Iranian from returning home to see his father one last time.

✍️ [TMR 50 • RETURNING HOME]

Raha Nik-Andish returns to Iran after 14 years abroad, facing war, joblessness, and ailing parents. A moving essay on identity, family, and what it means to go back.

🔗 Read here: bit.ly/looking-for-a...

#TMR50 #IranianWriters

Strangers at Home: Young Palestinians in Israel Young Palestinian citizens of Israel navigate life facing a unique position as both insiders and outsiders.

📍 [TMR 50 • RETURNING HOME]

What does it mean to belong in a place that sees you as a stranger? In “Strangers at Home,” Sophia Didinova follows young Palestinian citizens of Israel navigating identity, exclusion & love.

🔗 bit.ly/strangers-at-...

#TMR50 #PalestinianVoices

A Letter To My Cruel Lover: Tripoli My Tripoli breathes gunpowder, // … the city where mosques are bombed and streets get emptied. // … How can my Lebanon be their Lebanon?

❤️‍🩹 [TMR 50 • RETURNING HOME]

In “A Letter to My Cruel Lover: Tripoli,” Lara Kassem pens a poignant ode to the city that shaped her. A love letter from exile, full of longing and memory.

📖 Read now: bit.ly/a-letter-to-m...


#TMR50 #TripoliLebanon #LoveAndExile #DiasporaVoices

Exile and Hope: Sudanese creatives and the question of home Sudanese artists in exile are keeping their identity and heritage alive while they await the chance to return home.

📖 In “Exile and Hope: Sudanese Creatives and the Question of Home,” Ati Metwaly follows Sudanese artists rebuilding life in Egypt while preserving heritage in exile. A powerful look at memory, war, and the meaning of home.

🔗 bit.ly/exile-and-hop...

#TMR50 #SudaneseDiaspora #ReturningHome

Leaving Abdoh, Finding Chamran Salar Abdoh reflects on returning to Iran, burdened by injustice and a desire to reconnect with a culture that has normalized disinformation.

💭 [TMR 50 • RETURNING HOME]

What happens when you return to a home that’s no longer yours?

Salar Abdoh reckons with legacy, war, and memory in post-revolution Tehran—where even the squash courts carry ghosts.

📖 Read now: bit.ly/leaving-abdoh...

#TMR50 #ReturningHome #IranWriters

Neither Here Nor There Envisioning innovative new futures that challenge conventional thinking and inspire transformative possibilities.

🎨 [TMR 50 • RETURNING HOME]

In “Neither Here Nor There,” artist @myr36573 traces a fragmented lineage of exile, memory, and longing.

📝 Read her hybrid essay now: bit.ly/neither-here-...

#ReturningHome #TheMarkazReview #HomeAndExile #CulturalMemory #TMR50 #HybridEssay

Home is Elsewhere: On the Fictions of Return Feeling that her childhood home differed from her birthplace, writer Mai Al-Nakib perceives home as more imaginary than real.

🏡 [TMR 50 • RETURNING HOME]

What does it mean to return home—if home was always elsewhere? In our 50th issue, Mai Al-Nakib reflects on exile, memory & fiction as return.

🔗 Read her full essay: bit.ly/home-is-elsew...

#MaiAlNakib #TMR50 #Exile #Diaspora #ImaginaryHomelands

📣 [NEW ISSUE]

🏠 Can you ever really go home? In our 50th issue, writers reflect on return, loss & memory — from Palestine to Kashmir.

🔗 Read now → bit.ly/tmr-50-retur...

Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to this special issue.

#TheMarkazReview #TMR50 #ReturningHome #LatestIssue