A mask the color of the sky / Bassem Khandaqji, translated from the Arabic by Addie Leak.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Khandaqji, Bassem, author.

Contributor:

Leak, Addie, translator.

Standardized Title:

Qina' bi-lawn al-sama' English

Language:

Arabic

English

Subjects (All):

Identity theft--Fiction.

Identity theft.

Refugees, Palestinian Arab--Fiction.

Refugees, Palestinian Arab.

Arabic fiction--Translations into English.

Arabic fiction.

Genre:

Psychological fiction.

Physical Description:

186 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Europa editions, 2026.

Language Note:

In English, translated from Arabic.

Summary:

Winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. A bold, psychologically rich novel of identity, exile, and resistance from one of Palestine's most vital literary voices--written entirely from behind bars. Nur, a young Palestinian refugee from a camp near Ramallah, is often mistaken for an Ashkenazi Jew. Fluent in Hebrew and with a degree in archaeology, he dreams of freedom beyond the fences of the camp--and of writing a novel about Mary Magdalene based on the Gnostic Gospels. When he discovers an Israeli ID card in the pocket of a secondhand coat, he assumes a false identity and is hired for an archaeological dig near Megiddo. Passing as an Israeli, he moves through a world previously off-limits, gaining insight into the lives and beliefs of those he's been taught to see as enemies. But as Nur's borrowed identity deepens, so does the rift within: between Nur, the Palestinian, and "Ur," the Israeli. By exploring this internal conflict, unfolding alongside friendships and love affairs, Bassem Khandaqji offers a meditation on the personal toll of occupation and the elusive desire to belong somewhere--fully, honestly, and without fear.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Beardwood Fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9798889661702

OCLC:

1523042022