Native : Dispatches from an Israeli-Palestinian Life 2016

Sayed Kashua has been lauded by the New York Times as “a master of subtle nuance in dealing with both Arab and Jewish society.” A Palestinian-Israeli who lived in Jerusalem for most of his life, Kashua started writing with the hope of creating one story that both sides could relate to. He devoted his novels and his satirical column in Haaretz to exploring the contradictions of modern Israel while also capturing the nuances of everyday family life in all its tenderness and chaos.

Over the last decade, his humorous essays have been among the most widely read in Israel. He writes about fatherhood and marriage, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and encounters with prejudice, as well as his love of literature. With an intimate tone fueled by deep-seated apprehension and razor-sharp wit, he has documented his own life as well as that of society at large – from instructing his daughter on when it’s appropriate to speak Arabic (everywhere, anytime, except at the entrance to a mall) to opening a Facebook account during the Arab Spring (so that he wouldn’t miss the next revolution).

From the events of his everyday life, Kashua brings forth a series of brilliant, caustic, wry, and fearless reflections on social and cultural dynamics as experienced by someone who straddles two societies. Amusing and sincere, Native – a selection of his popular columns – is comprised of unrestrained, profoundly thoughtful personal dispatches.

Sayed Kashua is the author of the novels Dancing Arabs, Let It Be Morning, which was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and Exposure, winner of the prestigious Bernstein Prize. He is a columnist for Haaretz and the creator of the popular, prize-winning sitcom, Arab Labor. Kashua has received numerous awards for his journalism including the Lessing Prize for Critic (Germany) and the SFJFF Freedom of Expression Award (USA). Now living in the United States with his family, he teaches at the University of Illinois.