I Saw Ramallah

"Marvelous. . . . A beautifully constructed and moving memoir."—Al-Ahram Weekly

"The most eloquent statement in English of what it is like to be Palestinian today. . . . no other book so well explains the background of recent events in Palestine/Israel."—Times Literary Supplement

"Forceful, lyrical, evocative. . . . A wonderful read."—Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

"The passionate pain of exile, recounted at the end of the day by a true poet."—John Berger

"The English translation, artistically rendered by the novelist, Adhaf Soueif, conveys the beauty of the Arabic language without sacrificing the accuracy of the author's thoughts and the depth of his emotions."—Middle East Journal

“Stirring. . . . Poignant. . . . Compelling. . . . I Saw Ramallah is a magnificent addition to world literature. It is picturesque and lifelike. Its evocative images touch, move, and inspire.”—Middle East Studies Association Bulletin

"The theme is not merely the physical violence of occupation, but rather occupation’s ability to rob the Palestinian of his simplest and even banal connections to self and place. . . . The translation by Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif is more than convincing: it is elegant and, at times, astonishing."—Aljadid

"A rare memoir. . . . Humane and eloquent." —In These Times

‘’Joins elements of autobiography to sophisticated narrative techniques with remarkable power.’’—Abdel Moneim Tallima

"I Saw Ramallah is a defiant rejection, through the recording of experience and feeling, of the efforts of 'policy makers' to dehumanize the objects of their repression." —The Egyptian Reporter

‘’He depicts the topography of his homeland and the richness of its folklore. His recollections are expressed with intimacy, but without sentimentality; with emotion, but without bitterness.’’ —Ferial Ghazoul