Arab-American Poetry

There seems to be two types of poetry written by Arab-Americas: those pieces that could have been written by anyone, and those pieces who could only have been written by an Arab-American.  Because I believe it's important for students to see both the similarities and differences among people, the following selections fall in both groups.

Grape Leaves: A Century of Arab American Poetry
D.H. Melmem's "Grandfather: Frailty Is Not the Story" (p.106-107) is a poem about remembering the dead and/or sick as they were alive and healthy.  As many students have dealt with the deaths of their family members, this poem is particularly poignant.   Another universal poem is "Generations," by Joseph Awad (p. 140), about the love shared between father and son.  "Being a Good Americani" (p.198-199) obviously falls into the other category.  This poem explains what it takes to act/be American.  The strongest part of the poem is the end, when the speaker talks about finding the perfect time to remember his life in Palestine.  Students will find this poem accessible and will only need help with the Dallas reference.

Inclined to Speak: An Anthology of Contemporary Arab American Poetry
"Flying" by Assef Al-Jundi (p. 37-38) speaks to the cultural differences between life in Syria and life in the United States and how difficult it is for Syrians to immigrate.

Sinan Antoon's "A Photograph" (p. 53) paints a bleak picture of the Iraq war using a photograph from the front page of the New York Times.  Antoon's "A Letter" is also about the Iraq war.  It addresses the numerous Iraqi dead, bringing to light the fact that no one knows exactly how many have died and could be taught with "For Which It Stands" (p. 146-147) and "Intifada" (p. 137-138) by Samuel Hazo on the same themes.

"Thinking American" by Hayan Charara (p. 73-74) would pair very well with "Being a Good Americani." In this poem, Charara describes the plight of a blue-collar Arab worker in Detroit.  Along the same lines is "Dying with the Wrong Name" by Sam Hamod (o. 120-129), which is a long poem about assimilation.  Teachers who don't want to use the entire piece could easily use just the first part (p. 120-121).

Poems about prejudice include "mike check" by Suheir Hammad (p. 118-119), "My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears" (p. 171-173) and "Hijab Scene #1" and "Hijab Scene #2" (p. 174) all by Mohja Kahf.

Lisa Suhair Majaj's "I Remember My Father's Hands" in which she remembers her father through his hands would work well with Melmem's "Grandfather" and Awad's "Generations."

All American Yemeni Girls

All American Yemeni Girls: Being Muslim in a Public School by Loukia K. Sarroub is an ethnography following six young hijabat (plural for those who wear the hijab, or head-covering) in Dearborn, Michigan.  While the ethnography was completed before the September 11th attacks, I believe it is still a good cross-section of Arab-American (specifically Yemeni) life at the high school level.  Teachers with Arab-American and/or Muslim students may find this book particularly helpful (especially chapter five, "The Tensions Teachers Face: Public Education and Islam"), as Sarroub's case-studies help to explain the pressure that these students face.

Teachers may also be able to include segments of this book into the teaching of literature written by Arabs in the West.  Sarroub herself has Algerian and Greek parents and identifies with the six girls.  A summary of the students' personalities starts on page 12 and goes through page 15.  Sarroub describes the girls' high school (Cobb High School) and hometown (Southend, Dearborn) on pages 24 through 26.  Teachers using excerpts from this book will find that these pages explain the ethnography's purpose and depth sufficiently so as to not confuse students.  The selections "The Case of Layla: A Representative Portrait" and "Sojourning into a New Space" (p. 30-45) paint a thorough picture of what life is like for these girls as they try to balance their Yemeni, Muslim, and school lives.  After 9/11, Sarroub returned to talk with the girls, now women, one last time.  Comments about this reunion are in chapter seven, under the heading "Living Ethnography in the Past and Present" (136-138).  Once students learn about the hijabat's lives in 1997-1998, they will want to know what happened to girls.  As this is real life, students must be prepared for something other than the fairy-tale endings they're used to.

Turkish Poetry

Nazim Hikmet
"Lion in an Iron Cage" (p. 32-33) & "Today is Sunday" (p. 66) are both poems about Hikmet's imprisonment in Turkish prisons for being a communist.  While the metaphor of a lion for an imprisoned man may be trite, the image he creates is striking.  In "Today is Sunday," the speaker of the poem is allowed to go outside after a long imprisonment and feels blesses to see the sun.  (from Selected Poems Nazim Hikmet Translated by Taner Baybars)

"On the Matter of Romeo and Juliet" asks if Romeo would still be Romeo if Juliet didn't love him.  This would be a great poem to use during Romeo & Juliet, especially during the "a rose by any other name" section.  (p. 145 Poems of Nazim Hikmet Translated by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk)

"In the Snowy Night Woods" shares more than subject matter with Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening."   The death that is veiled in Frost's poem is obvious in Hikmet's, and students would gain much in comparing the two.  (p. 176-177 Poems of Nazim Hikmet Translated by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk)

"Welcome" is a pessimistic poem.  Although it starts, "Welcome baby / it's your turn to live," Hikmet loads it with the negative aspects of life such as disease, accidents, and weapons of mass destruction.  Students would be able to discuss how many of the negative aspects of life are man-made, while others are natural.  This poem would also lend itself to use as a mentor poem, possibly one that is optimistic instead of pessimistic.  (p. 258 Poems of Nazim Hikmet Translated by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk)

Orhan Veli Kanik
In "For You" the speaker reminds the reader that the world has been made for him.  Students will be able to discuss this view and the opposite belief that humans are just part of the world, not owners of it.  Students who read and discuss this may come away with a greater appreciation of the world.  (p. 44 I am Listening to Istanbul translated by Talat Sait Halman)

"For Our Homeland" is a very short poem (three lines) that shows the disparity between what people do for their country.  It lends itself to a discussion about politics, politicians, and soldiers.  (p. 84 I am Listening to Istanbul translated by Talat Sait Halman)

The inanimate objects of wartime are personified in "Like Us."  The image of a rifle with mercy is a strong one, and students may want to discuss war and the reasons for it.  (p. 85 I am Listening to Istanbul translated by Talat Sait Halman)

"The Flag" is another battlefield poem about soldiers dying for their country.  Kanik's juxtaposition of a dying soldier and strawberry ice cream show the reader that each soldier is a unique person.  In this time of war for the US, I think students would particularly appreciate this poem and the message behind it.  (p. 86 I am Listening to Istanbul translated by Talat Sait Halman)

Bliss by O. Z. Livaneli

In order to paint a picture of the divergent beliefs in contemporary Turkey, author Livaneli takes the reader into the lives of three different characters in his novel Bliss.  Meryem, fifteen years old, has just been raped by her uncle, a sheik in her small village.  She is locked in a barn as her family waits for her to commit suicide, thereby clearing the family of any shame she has brought on them.  Cemal, her cousin, returns home from the Turkish army where he has been fighting against the Kurds, one of whom is his childhood friend Memo.  Since Meryem will not hang herself, Cemal is given the task of "taking her to Istanbul," committing the honor killing himself.  But along the way, he falters and is not able to do it.  With this shame on his head, he cannot return to the village, so he and Meryem struggle to find a way of life outside of their home.

Interrupting the story of Meryem and Cemal is the story of Professor İrfan Kurudal.  Plagued by a need to get away from his life in Istanbul, İrfan leaves his job at the university, his beautiful wife, and his city behind as he goes on a sailing adventure.  He is definitely trying to run away from something, it is not yet obvious what.


Meryem and Cemal both begin the fundamentalist beliefs with which they've been raised as they travel through Turkey.  When they join İrfan on his boat, Meryem sheds her beliefs as she sheds her headscarf and thick traditional clothing, while Cemal clings to his beliefs and gradually becomes an outsider.  


School Library Journal classifies this book as "adult/high school."  It does have some very difficult subjects, including rape, sex, violence, politics, and religion.  But Bliss is a wonderful story about examining culture and coming to terms it.  Livaneli pushes the boundaries of the believable as he introduces the myriad of character types in this novel, yet the overall effect is a complex picture of what Turkey is like today.

Contemporary Turkish Short Fiction (Male writers)

Each of the following stories can be found in Contemporary Turkish Short Fiction: A Selection (Vol. 1)


"Beyond the Coop" by Yusuf Atilgan (p. 33-35)
An allegory about life in Turkey, "Beyond the Coop" is written from the point-of-view of a hen in a hen house.  As the short story progresses, the hen befriends her human owner, finds her way out of the coop, gets chased by dogs, returns to the coop, and then decides that life, although dangerous on the outside, is better for her.  It wouldn't take much to get students to see this as a metaphor for women's rights, but the fact that "Beyond the Coop" is written by a man makes it even more interesting and thought provoking.  While students don't need any background information to read this story, a more in-depth discussion would occur if they had a knowledge of Turkish/Muslim culture.

"The Forgotten" by Oğuz Atay (p. 89-93)
Another short story with a female protagonist written by a male author, "The Forgotten" follows a woman as she searches through her attic for books to sell.  While her husband is downstairs waiting for her, she stumbles upon old photographs that show her with her first husband, whom she had forgotten.  The story unfolds as she begins to remember the circumstances by which he left her.  They had had a fight and he had gone up to the attic to calm down, while she had gone out.  When she returned, he was gone.  While she had believed that he'd left her, he had really been in the attic the entire time, dead from a gunshot wound to the head.  The ending is ambiguous - did he commit suicide or did she kill him?  Students will enjoy the plot twists and have definite opinions as to the ending of the story.

"Blue Sky Black Earth" by Adnan Özyalçiner (p. 94-97)
In "Blue Sky Black Earth," students will be able to see the stark divisions between upper and lower classes in Turkey.  The main character throughout most of the story is a businessman who is plagued by a foul odor making its way to the top of his building.  Below him he can see men working on a sewer line not far from the skyscraper.  When he tries to leave after a late night at work, he finds that his car has been blocked by a wall of cobblestones moved during the work.  As he enlists the help of a boy to move the sewage-covered stones, the narration turns to one of the workers who has just received his paycheck from the day's work.  The worker is at the pharmacy getting a prescription for his baby, but unfortunately his pay is not enough money to cover the costs.  Students will be able to relate to this division between upper- and lower-classes which exists across the world.  No background knowledge is needed to understand the story - it could be set in almost any city with large buildings.


Other stories which were interesting but not completely relevant to Turkish culture were "Three Falls (A Dream)" by Ferit Edgü (p. 104-107), a story in three parts where the narrator dreams he is a bird being shot by a hunter and retrieved by a dog (or is he the hunter? or the dog? or all three?), and "The Bell" by Osman Şahin (p. 152-161), in which a wolf is punished for killing a nomad camp's sheep using a bell around his neck.  

Contemporary Turkish Short Fiction (Women writers)

The following stories are all found in Contemporary Turkish Short Fiction: A Selection Vol. 1


"A Mid-Summer Night's Story" by Peride Celal (p. 26-32)
In this seven-page story, the narrator has a late-night talk with Angelos, who is crazy because he's "in love with Fokia."  It is not until the end of the story that she finds out that Fokia is a mermaid.  Readers can discuss the pervasiveness of the mermaid myths, the delicate balance between fiction and reality, and how those with mental illness are treated in different societies.

"Farewell Alyosha" by Oya Baydar (p.141-145)
The term "Alyosha" means a Baptist, or someone who tries to convert others.  "Farewell Alyosha" describes the passion that youth have for change and the way that passion fades over time.  Upon seeing a photograph of an aged "Alyosha", the narrator reminisces about their past as activists.  "It was our age of 25 or 30 when we, holding strong beliefs - enthusiastic, hopeful and willing to make sacrifices - kept writing and debated what we wrote all night long, when we took the world, life, war, revolution, socialism, human beings and ourselves seriously in a way perhaps we would never do again" (142).  The narrator is disappointed in the outcomes of their work now that "Alyosha" is a politician.  She asks "Alyosha" to remember their passion and to refuse to allow their dreams to crumble.  "Everything is crumbling around us... Walls, castles, chateaux, stars, statues, dreams, beliefs, values, everything tied to the past... Everything is falling apart, shattering!" (145).  Students can discuss the history of Turkey over the past 100 years, with numerous coup d'états, the passion of youth and the resignation of age, and even illusions to Turkish poet Nâzim Hikmet.

"The Simple Present" by Ayşe Kulin (162-176)
"The Simple Present" is another story that is interesting.  I'm on the fence as to whether it's teachable, but the message is a good one.  It's about a woman who tries to help her niece jump social classes by paying for private schooling.  She hopes the niece will marry a doctor, but she ends up giving in to pressure from her male relatives to marry a boy from her neighborhood.  The piece touches on spousal abuse and polygamy.  One of the main themes is the guilt that the narrator feels about leaving Turkey for England and the good life she has there, and the difficult lives of those she leaves behind.  It is a bit confusing because the narration jumps between the past (in Turkey) and the present (both in England and Turkey).  Some issues are unresolved at the end, such as who Gerry is and how long he and the narrator have been together.  Teachers may also feel uncomfortable with the sexual references, though they're mild.


"In the Shop Window (the '80s)" by Ayşe Kulin (p. 177-182)
Twice awarded "Writer of the Year" by the Istanbul Communication Faculty (in 1997 & 1998), Ayşe Kulin's characters in "In the Shop Window" are mannequins.  The mannequins discuss their desires (to dress a certain way, to think, to love, to leave) that are now (under the Evren presidency) illegal.  Teachers can present the mannequins as metaphors for those feeling stifled under the suspension of civil liberties during Evren's military coup and presidency.  Students will need a basic understanding of recent Turkish history, including the military coups in 1960, 1971, 1980.

"Monsieur Hristo" by Nazli Eray (p. 233-235)
Known for her fables and fantasies, Nazli Eray wrote "Monsieur Hristo" in memory of her friend and janitor.  Students of all ages should enjoy this very short story which starts, "The janitor of the Felicity Apartment House in Şişhane, Monsieur Hristo, turned into a bird on a summer day, and flew away to Kuledibi" (233).  As the janitor/bird flies across Turkey, his wife comes home from the market and begins to worry about it.  The story is simple, yet entertaining.  Students should at least have some understanding of the locations of the towns in Turkey where Monsieur Hristo flies.  Teachers who want to go more in-depth can dissect the relationship between husband and wife and focus on the wife's reaction throughout the story.  Eray ends the story with a note saying that the real Monsieur Hristo "died two years ago.  Perhaps he is a pigeon now in Tarlabşi.  Perhaps not."  Students may enjoy discussions of the varying views of the afterlife as well.

"Five Minutes to Five" by Zeynep Oral (p. 244-248)
In this story, the main character is walking home in the early-morning hours, worrying that it is immoral for her to do so.  The refrain, "A married woman does not stay out all night on the streets" runs through the story as it runs through her mind.  Feeling social pressures and imagining the voices of her neighbors and family as they chide her for being out so late, the woman continues her way home.  She makes some attempts to argue with the voices, but continues to fail.  You can tell that she agrees with them and worries about her reputation.  Just as she makes it home, she is stopped by soldiers.  Finally she is greeted by her entire family and all the neighbors.  She is ashamed to be out late, but soon realizes that they have overlooked her transgression because there has been a military coup during the night and they are all celebrating.  This story not only explores the social norms in Turkish culture in regards to women's rights, but also the history of the coups and the resulting change in society.  Students will need a background on Turkish and Islamic culture, as well as an understanding of the history of the country (especially the coup of 1980).

Soumchi by Amos Oz

Soumchi, which can be read as a sequel to Oz's A Panther in the Basement (but doesn't have to be), is a very short, very accessible novel.  The book tells the story of one day in the life of Soumchi, an eleven-year-old growing up in British occupied Jerusalem shortly after WWII.  When Soumchi's uncle gives him a bicycle, he trades it for a train set.  He then continues trading items until he finds exactly what he wants.

Lower-level students, especially younger readers, will find this book engaging and accessible.  Students need very little background information to understand the plot, although a brief history of Jerusalem would be helpful.  Teachers may feel that the novel doesn't have enough depth to it, but I believe Soumchi's story revolves around a desire for love to which many students will relate.

Panther in the Basement is another novel that lower-level students may enjoy, but the narrator (Soumchi) seems too adult-like to be believable, especially since Panther's plot comes before Soumchi's.  Teachers who are looking for a quick novel to share with their students would do better with Soumchi, but those wanting to do a short author study could easily pair these two books with background information on Amos Oz.