11 Lives: Stories from Palestinian Exile

11 Lives: Stories from Palestinian Exile

11 Lives: Stories from Palestinian Exile is a deeply moving anthology of first-person stories written by Palestinian refugees themselves. Edited and translated by Muhammad Ali Khalidi, with an introduction by Perla Issa, the collection offers an intimate and powerful look at Palestinian exile, displacement, memory, identity, and everyday life in refugee camps in Lebanon.

Bringing together 11 personal stories, the book reflects the many forms of displacement experienced by Palestinians since the Nakba of 1948. From childhood memories and life in refugee camp alleyways to love, loss, work, resistance, and the enduring connection to home and land, each story offers a unique perspective while contributing to a larger collective Palestinian narrative.

Created through a creative-writing workshop organized by the Institute for Palestine Studies in Lebanon, 11 Lives places Palestinian refugees at the centre of their own stories. Rather than presenting refugees as statistics or distant subjects, the book gives voice to their lived experiences in their own words.

For readers interested in Palestinian history, Palestinian culture, the Nakba, Palestinian refugee experiences, exile, diaspora, identity, and contemporary Palestinian literature, this book offers a rare and deeply human perspective.

A meaningful addition to a personal library, 11 Lives: Stories from Palestinian Exile is also an important choice for readers seeking to better understand Palestine through the voices and experiences of the people who lived these histories.

About the Editor & Translator
Muhammad Ali Khalidi is Presidential Professor of Philosophy at CUNY Graduate Center. He has written extensively on aspects of the question of Palestine, including Palestinian refugee rights, and has translated numerous works from Arabic into English.