A event on Tuesday 6th May. The event starts at 19:00.
EBB welcomes Palestinian novelist Karim Kattan to discuss his novel, *The Palace on the Higher Hill* (Foundry Editions), translated from the French by Jeffrey Zuckerman, in conversation with Alice Guthrie.
This event was made possible with the support of the Institut Français in London.
On *The Palace on the Higher Hill*:
Faysal receives a mysterious letter about the death of aunt he can’t remember. Leaving his lover and his life in Europe behind, he returns to the village of his birth in Palestine and to his family’s extraordinary, deserted house, the palace on the higher hill. With a backdrop of violence and the permanent threat from settlers, Faysal wanders the once-lavish rooms as characters from the past return to shed light on his family story and on the story of his people.
In beautiful, angry prose, Karim Kattan introduces us to an intimate Palestine of the imagination where dreams and nightmares are in constant conflict. With hints of One Hundred Years of Solitude and Brideshead Revisited, he gives a nuanced deeply moving vision of the tragedy of war and a picture of his homeland that feels entirely new to English-speaking readers.
Bios:
Palestinian writer KARIM KATTAN was born in 1989 in Jerusalem and holds a doctorate in comparative literature. His 2017 short-story collection, PRÉLIMINAIRES POUR UN VERGER FUTUR, was a finalist for the Prix Boccace. THE PALACE ON THE HIGHER HILL, his first novel, won the 2021 Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie, and his most recent novel, L’EDEN À L’AUBE, is shortlisted for the 2024 Prix Renaudot.
Alice Guthrie is an independent artist working on contemporary Arabic narrative culture. With literary translation as the foundation of her practice—published widely and to acclaim since 2008—her work also spans oral histories, editorial, curation, research, teaching, and advocacy. She originally learnt Arabic in Damascus and is now based in St Pauls, a stone's throw from East Bristol Books.
JEFFREY ZUCKERMAN is a translator from French of numerous writers, including Jean Genet, Hervé Guibert, and Ananda Devi. In addition to the many awards and honours he has received for his work, he was named a Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
This event was made possible with the support of the Institut Français in London.
On *The Palace on the Higher Hill*:
Faysal receives a mysterious letter about the death of aunt he can’t remember. Leaving his lover and his life in Europe behind, he returns to the village of his birth in Palestine and to his family’s extraordinary, deserted house, the palace on the higher hill. With a backdrop of violence and the permanent threat from settlers, Faysal wanders the once-lavish rooms as characters from the past return to shed light on his family story and on the story of his people.
In beautiful, angry prose, Karim Kattan introduces us to an intimate Palestine of the imagination where dreams and nightmares are in constant conflict. With hints of One Hundred Years of Solitude and Brideshead Revisited, he gives a nuanced deeply moving vision of the tragedy of war and a picture of his homeland that feels entirely new to English-speaking readers.
Bios:
Palestinian writer KARIM KATTAN was born in 1989 in Jerusalem and holds a doctorate in comparative literature. His 2017 short-story collection, PRÉLIMINAIRES POUR UN VERGER FUTUR, was a finalist for the Prix Boccace. THE PALACE ON THE HIGHER HILL, his first novel, won the 2021 Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie, and his most recent novel, L’EDEN À L’AUBE, is shortlisted for the 2024 Prix Renaudot.
Alice Guthrie is an independent artist working on contemporary Arabic narrative culture. With literary translation as the foundation of her practice—published widely and to acclaim since 2008—her work also spans oral histories, editorial, curation, research, teaching, and advocacy. She originally learnt Arabic in Damascus and is now based in St Pauls, a stone's throw from East Bristol Books.
JEFFREY ZUCKERMAN is a translator from French of numerous writers, including Jean Genet, Hervé Guibert, and Ananda Devi. In addition to the many awards and honours he has received for his work, he was named a Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
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