Books – Page 2 – War Watch

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David Hirst obituary
ByVictoria Brittain September 23, 2025

The Guardian’s Middle East correspondent for four decades whose articles were key to understanding the region’s turmoilDavid Hirst, who has died aged 89 of cancer, was the Guardian’s authoritative correspondent through four decades of dramatic change a…

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Desolation by Hossein Asgari review – an accomplished exploration of love, truth and the cruelty of fate
ByCatriona Menzies-Pike September 11, 2025

A storyteller who lies in service of truth meets a writer who doesn’t believe in true stories in this sophomore work set in Adelaide and post-revolutionary IranGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailDoes a novel need a factchecker? Not for the kind…

Read More Desolation by Hossein Asgari review – an accomplished exploration of love, truth and the cruelty of fate
Australia news | Australian books | Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Books | Culture | Donald Trump | Fiction | Fyodor Dostoevsky | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | JM Coetzee | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices

Desolation by Hossein Asgari review – an accomplished exploration of love, truth and the cruelty of fate
ByCatriona Menzies-Pike September 11, 2025

A storyteller who lies in service of truth meets a writer who doesn’t believe in true stories in this sophomore work set in Adelaide and post-revolutionary IranGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailDoes a novel need a factchecker? Not for the kind…

Read More Desolation by Hossein Asgari review – an accomplished exploration of love, truth and the cruelty of fate
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Books | Culture | Donald Trump | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Poetry

Poem of the week: New Republic by Michal Rubin
ByCarol Rumens August 25, 2025

The words of a Palestinian poet, killed in Gaza in 2023, are rekindled by an Israeli writer living in the US, in a dream where their words reach together for another futureOn 20 October 2023, Hiba Abu Nada, a Palestinian poet and novelist, was killed b…

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Zadie Smith, Michael Rosen, Irvine Welsh and Jeanette Winterson sign letter calling for Israel boycott
ByElla Creamer August 7, 2025August 7, 2025

More than 200 writers request cessation of all trade until people of Gaza given adequate food, water and aidMiddle East crisis – live updatesZadie Smith, Michael Rosen, Irvine Welsh and Jeanette Winterson are among more than 200 writers who have signed…

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Israeli author David Grossman says his country is committing genocide in Gaza
ByLorenzo Tondo in Palermo August 1, 2025

Writer says for many years he has refused to use word but now must ‘with immense pain and with a broken heart’Middle East crisis – live updatesThe award-winning Israeli author David Grossman has described his country’s campaign in Gaza as a genocide an…

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Leila Aboulela wins PEN Pinter prize for writing on migration and faith
ByElla Creamer July 9, 2025

Judges praised the Sudanese author for centring Muslim women, describing her writing as “a balm, a shelter, and an inspiration”Leila Aboulela has won this year’s PEN Pinter prize for her writing on migration, faith and the lives of women.The prize is a…

Read More Leila Aboulela wins PEN Pinter prize for writing on migration and faith
Africa | Awards and prizes | Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Books | Culture | Donald Trump | Fiction | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Islam | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | PEN literary prizes | Petrol prices | Religion | Sudan

Leila Aboulela wins PEN Pinter prize for writing on migration and faith
ByElla Creamer July 9, 2025

Judges praised the Sudanese author for centring Muslim women, describing her writing as “a balm, a shelter, and an inspiration”Leila Aboulela has won this year’s PEN Pinter prize for her writing on migration, faith and the lives of women.The prize is a…

Read More Leila Aboulela wins PEN Pinter prize for writing on migration and faith
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Simon Majaro obituary
ByBen Pilgrim June 23, 2025

My grandfather, Simon Majaro, who has died aged 95, led a life rich in reinvention. A marketing professor at Cranfield University, he was also a management consultant, author, translator, luthier and patron of chamber music. From consulting to craftsma…

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