An Evening with Author Isabella Hammad

Isabella Hammad's debut novel, The Parisian, was one of the most anticipated titles of 2019 to be released by Grove Press. A histocial novel set in both Montpellier, France and Nablus, Palestine, Hammad narrates with breathtaking mastery the life and times of her protagonist Midhat Kamal. Midhat is the son of a wealthy Nablus merchant, who leaves his home for Europe to study medicine. The trajectory of his life offers us a window onto pivotal years (1917-1936) in the making of the Palestinian nation. 

"Perilous journeys in time and space form the crisscross weave of 'The Parisian,' a deeply imagined historical novel with none of the usual cobwebs of the genre. Set in France and a deftly delineated Palestine, from the outbreak of World War I to the escalating violence amid the Arab general strike of 1936, 'The Parisian' has an up-close immediacy and stylistic panache..." – Christopher Benfey for the New York Times

Hammad was awarded the Plimpton Prize from The Paris Review, an award reserved for previously unpublished and emerging authors who have written a work of fiction printed in their publication. Her story, "Mr. Cana'an" ran in the 222nd issue of The Paris Review, in the fall of 2017. Hammad was also one of the receipients of the 2019 Palestine Book awards. 

The author will read a selected excerpts from her novel and discuss the work in a Q&A with the Dartmouth College community Wednesday, Febraury 5th at 5:00pm in Haldeman  041, the Kreindler Conference Room. Copies of The Parisian will be available for purchase courtesy of The Norwich Bookstore. Following her reading and discussion, Hammad will be available to sign copies of her book. 

This event is sponsored by the Leslie Humanities Center, Jewish Studies and Middle Eastern Studies, and organized by Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow Daniel Behar. It is free and open to the public.