A review by Marcia Lynx Qualey, for The National, September 21, 2016
Khaled Khalifa’s No Knives in the Kitchens of This City, like his acclaimed novel In Praise of Hatred (2013), is guided by a single powerful emotion. While In Praise tracks hatred as it seethes in and around Aleppo, No Knives, also translated by Leri Price, quickens around shame.

Below is an excerpt of a piece Khaled Khalifa wrote for Corriere della sera, March 2016
During my trip from Damascus to Boston, I found myself reflecting on Syria, giving it one last look. I imagined it calm, and strong; it made me think of so many things. Before leaving it for a whole year, I needed to express all these feelings. I am convinced that, despite the huge amount of destruction, Syria, my country, can still elicit an avalanche of positive adjectives.

Belbol’s father just passed away in a Damascus hospital. His last request to his son was to be burried in his hometown of Aannabiya, in the province of Aleppo.

This article was written by Heba Saleh for the Financial Times. Only a few excerpts are featured below. For the full article, please refer to the Financial Times‘ website. Published on October 6th 2015.
Photo credit: The Guardian, Sedat Suna
As the Arab world grapples with unrest across many of its countries, the Arab novel, a form that has undergone something of a revival in recent years, has found inspiration in the region’s political cataclysms. A powerful style of fiction has emerged that probes subjects relating to freedom, violence, identity, religion and the failure …

Woerdense Courant, May 27th, 2015
“Whoever thinks of the events in Syria in the recent years sees  horror images speed by. In this novel, it becomes very personal. The unnamed narrator brings the reader close to the worries of his family in Aleppo, while the political situation barely lurks in the background (…). Sometimes chaotic, [the novel is] always incisive.”

Der Standaard, March 27 2015
“Khalifa’s family chronicle is straightforward and very structured. We never have enough of the recent history it covers, and the sometimes bizarre characters that filled the ancient streets of the Syrian city [of Aleppo].”