The lovers. (Artist: Souhaib Ayoub)
Souhaib Ayoub is a novelist, playwright, and journalist. He is the author of Rajol min Satin (Hachette Antoine, Lebanon, 2019) and Dhi’b al-ʿā’ila (Hachette Antoine, Lebanon, 2019), translated into French by Actes Sud in 2025.In a literary text published in L’Orient-Le Jour, Ayoub imagines a fictional love story unfolding amid war between the protagonist, who comes from a stateless Bedouin community in Wadi Khaled, and his Beirut-born lover, Ralph.Against the backdrop of Israeli bombardments and the forced displacement of part of the population, the bond between the two characters offers a glimpse into some of the divisions within Lebanese society under the shadow of exile. Voices from the Middle East Samah Karaki: We cannot count on empathy to save us Weren't they the journey itself?He slipped his wet tongue into Ralph’s mouth,...
Souhaib Ayoub is a novelist, playwright, and journalist. He is the author of Rajol min Satin (Hachette Antoine, Lebanon, 2019) and Dhi’b al-ʿā’ila (Hachette Antoine, Lebanon, 2019), translated into French by Actes Sud in 2025.In a literary text published in L’Orient-Le Jour, Ayoub imagines a fictional love story unfolding amid war between the protagonist, who comes from a stateless Bedouin community in Wadi Khaled, and his Beirut-born lover, Ralph.Against the backdrop of Israeli bombardments and the forced displacement of part of the population, the bond between the two characters offers a glimpse into some of the divisions within Lebanese society under the shadow of exile. Voices from the Middle East Samah Karaki: We cannot count on empathy to save us Weren't they the journey itself?He slipped his wet tongue into...
