Description

Winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction

A bold, psychologically rich novel of identity, exile, and resistance from one of Palestine’s most vital literary voices-written entirely from behind bars.

Nur, a Palestinian refugee from a camp near Ramallah, is often mistaken for an Ashkenazi Jew. Fluent in Hebrew and with a degree in archaeology, he dreams of freedom beyond the fence, and of writing a novel about Mary Magdalene based on the Gnostic Gospels. When he discovers an Israeli ID card in the pocket of a secondhand coat, he assumes a false identity and is hired for an archaeological dig near Megiddo. Passing as an Israeli, he moves through a world previously off-limits and gains insight into the lives of those he’s been taught to perceive as enemies.

As Nur’s borrowed identity deepens, so does the rift within. Through an exploration of this internal conflict, Bassem Khandaqji’s Arabic Booker-winning novel offers a meditation on the personal toll of occupation and the elusive desire to belong-fully, honestly, and without fear.

Publisher Review

“A Mask, the Colour of the Sky fuses the personal with the political in innovative ways.” * International Prize for Arabic Fiction * “A Mask the Colour of the Sky is a haunting study of identity under occupation. Tracing the fragmentation of the self, Khandaqji reveals colonial power at its most insidious.” * Saleem Haddad, author of Guapa and Floodlines * “Absorbing and challenging.” * Asian Review of Books * “A novel worth reading for its intense experimentation and aesthetics, and for the kind of questions it raises about identity and identities.” * Al Jazeera * “An intriguing discourse on the nature of identity.” * Publishers Weekly *