City Gates
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City Gates was first published in Arabic in 1981, and in English in 1993. It is a further exploration of the themes of exile, dislocation, and identity. Elias Khoury's early works show him finding the distinctive voice that explodes in his epic Gate of the Sun.
A stranger arrives at the gates of a city from which everyone appears to have fled. The once besieged and now deserted city is Beirut. City Gates is a fable of displacement and a visionary tale about the consequences of civil war in the Middle East.
Paula Haydar
Translated by
Paula Haydar is an Associate Professor of Arabic at the University of Arkansas and a translator of contemporary Arabic fiction. Her recent publications include translations of Jabbour Douaihy's The King of India, Firefly (co-translated with Nadine Sinno), and Poison in the Air, as well as Basma Elkhatib's debut novel Bitter Oranges.
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