Muhammad Abi Samra - Beirut Noir

Marie Tawkis a writer and renowned translator currently based in Jbeil (Byblos), Lebanon. She has published numerous literary translations from French into Arabic, as well as from Arabic into French. She recently translated chapters of Jonathan Littell’s The Kindly Ones from French into Arabic in the Nahar newspaper’s cultural supplement, and she has published a number of her own short stories and literary criticism in Lebanese newspapers and journals. Tawk is currently working on her first novel.

The Amazin’ Sardineis the author of An Ever-Receding Tide . He has been performing under this nom de plume for several years. In his performances, he always strives to be the devil’s advocate and impersonates unsavory characters to elicit a reaction from his audience and push them to reconsider established truths.

Hyam Yared(b. 1975) is a French-language Lebanese novelist and short-story writer. Her three novels have won numerous prizes. Her most recent novel is La Malédiction ( The Curse ), the story of a modern-day Middle Eastern Medea. She is the president of the PEN association’s Lebanon chapter, where she is engaged in the struggle for freedom of expression for all writers, especially those imprisoned or subjected to other forms of intimidation and censorship.

I would like to first acknowledge Ibrahim Ahmad’s thoughtful, consistent, and enthusiastic support of this project. I would also like to thank all of the authors of the stories in this collection who were helpful and insightful in their comments and suggestions. Sincere and deep thanks are owed to Iman Humaydan, who continues to teach me so much about literature and language itself. I also would like to express a sincere debt of gratitude to Bader Takriti for working so hard to help me finish the translations, as well as the careful readings of Katy Kalemkerian.