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Abbas El-Zein

Abbas El-Zein is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney as well as the author of the novel Tell the Running Water (2001), Leave to Remain: A memoir (2009), and a collection of stories, The Secret Maker of the World (2014). His writing focuses on war, migration, and identity.

'Letter from Beirut' by Abbas El-Zein

May 2003, no. 251 01 May 2003
It has been raining all week, persistent drizzle unlike the brief downpours that are more typical of Beirut. The city is slumbering. I am staying with my parents. My father goes out less often. My mother is snuggled under the blankets. She hopes the war won’t happen. The kettle is boiling like a purring cat. The house is quiet. Rain is the soporific of cities. ... (read more)