For Guernica’s January and February 2025 issues, guest editors Salar Abdoh, Valeria Luiselli, Heather Cleary, Nimmi Gowrinathan, Omar Hamilton, Maaza Mengiste, Kamila Shamsie, Mirza Waheed, Meena Kandasamy, Jacqueline Woodson, Jamal Mahjoub, and Nathalie Handal have selected works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from writers and thinkers in their communities whom they felt it was important to shine a light on. We are honored and excited to share the first part of this vital work with our readers today, with the second part forthcoming in February.
In the January issue, Salar Abdoh presents Tarek Abi Samra’s “A Man Made of Dust,” in which the author bears indelible and humane witness to Lebanon’s successive recent crises by observing one man’s relationship with his dog, Happy. Valeria Luiselli and Heather Cleary present Yásnaya Elena Gil’s “Inventing the Commons: On Alternative Technologies,” in which the author reclaims innovation from its disastrous manifestations under the modern cult of profit. Jamal Mahjoub presents Stella Gaitano’s lyrical essay, “War Forgets No One!,” which charts one woman’s struggle through Sudan’s endless and underreported wars. Maaza Mengiste presents Zukiswa Wanner’s short story, “Broken Endings, Uncertain Geneses,” which follows a young girl’s hopes and forfeitures during the brutal Boer War at the turn of the 20th century. And finally, Nathalie Handal brings us Najwan Darwish’s translated poems, “A Star from the Land of the Dead,” “A Yemeni Rhythm,” and “A Letter from Ain Defla,” which carry within them the many cadences of exile and loss, as well as Dario Bellezza’s translated verses from “Snakewoman” (1987), “III – Rome” (1989), and “Secret Death” (1976), which evince a poet’s lifelong fascination with death and desire.
These pieces come to us from South Africa, Lebanon, Sudan, Italy, Palestine, and Mexico; they are at times mournful, at times contemplative, and at times optimistic. But, always, they couple each writer’s memorable voice with the subject matter’s own synchronous force, and in doing so, create that singular resonance that is literature’s province and preserve. We are incredibly grateful to our guest editors for bringing these talented writers into the literary home that Guernica has, for more than twenty years, provided for so many readers, including this one.
Welcome to the January issue!
–Youmna M. Chamieh, Editor-in-chief
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“Broken Endings, Uncertain Geneses” –
In Zukiswa Wanner’s story “Broken Endings, Uncertain Geneses,” set during the brutal context of the Boer War, a young girl endures unimaginable loss in a concentration camp, and somehow finds resilience and hope amidst tragedy while carrying a shared secret for the future. Selected by guest editor Maaza Mengiste.
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“Inventing the Commons: On Alternative Technologies”–
In “Inventing the Commons: On Alternative Technologies”, Mixe scholar and activist Yásnaya Elena Gil turns a critical eye on the concept of innovation under capitalism, suggesting new ways forward. As guest editors Valeria Luiselli and Heather Cleary put it, “when the cult of profit is taking its toll so violently in overlapping environmental and humanitarian crises, this valorization of collectivity and reciprocity is a vital call to action.”
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“A Man Made of Dust” –
In Tarek Abi Samra’s gut-punch of an essay, “A Man Made of Dust”- selected by guest editor Salar Abdoh and translated by Lina Mounzer – we trace Lebanon’s turbulent recent past through the ups and downs of one man’s relationship with his pet dog.
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“War Forgets No One!” –
In Stella Gaitano’s powerful essay “War Forgets No One!”–selected by guest editor Jamal Mahjoub–we witness the impact of Sudan’s continuous, underreported wars on one woman’s family and psyche.
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“A Star from the Land of the Dead,” “A Yemeni Rhythm,” and “A Letter from Ain Defla” –
Three poems by Palestinian poet Najwan Darwish, one of the foremost contemporary Arab poets. Translated from the Arabic by translator, editor, writer, and scholar Kareem James Abu-Zeid.
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“Snakewoman,” “III – Rome,” and “Secret Death” – Three poems by Dario Bellezza, Italy’s first openly gay, major prizewinning poet-novelist-playwright who died a premature death of AIDS-related complications. Translated from the Italian by poet, translator, and editor Peter Covino.
