28 April 2022

We Wrote in Symbols - Book Review

We Wrote in Symbols: Love and Lust by Arab Women Writers edited by Selma Dabbagh
Publication date: April 29, 2021
Pages: 256 pages
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆
Sweet Spark: Such beautiful writings have been created for thousands of years...


This is my fourth book finished for my 12 Book Challenge (12 books recommended by 12 friends this year). In this case I have to say fourth book finished, because I actually started and finished the last two since I started this one. 

So much of this book was beautiful, poetic writings. While they were titled as love and lust, they were a wonderful illustration of the wide range of meanings and relationships that encompass either love or lust. 

If I had to pick a few favorites, I'd have to say I still think of Fig Milk: An Excerpt by Samia Issa (translated from Arabic by Claire Savina) as such an engaging story. It was a story of two individuals following the urges of their lust for each other, while never meeting face to face or knowing for sure the identity of the object of their lust. A favorite poem would have to be Contemplation by Hiba Moustafa (translated from Arabic by Wen-chin Ouyang). It's a beautiful verse of someone admiring their object of lust, who is also their true love.

Overall, I gave this collection 3 out of 5 stars. I would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy collections of poetry and short stories, and erotic writings (while not all of the stories were erotic, some definitely were).


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