Full Description
This Sweet Rupture unflinchingly explores interwoven themes of family secrets, diaspora, food culture, and the impact of war on personal stories. Rooted in Omar Ramadan's experiences as a son of Lebanese immigrants, and set in Canada, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates, the collection brings together intergenerational exchanges and present-day realities, from sweetened tea preparations to conversations about conflict zones to investigations of Canadian blizzards. The book speaks to Arab father-son relationships and incorporates Arabic, reflecting the hybridity of its speakers and their shifting sense of place. Resonant and intricate, This Sweet Rupture thoughtfully navigates cultural identity, war, memory, and family.
Contents
Shorbet Adas is Served at the IIC Daily Iftar
ذبيحة or قربان or Your First Beheading Video - Part I
"What am I Slaughtering Myself For?"
"How Old Were You When 9/11 Happened?" or "Do You Even Remember That Day?"
When the Al Jazeera Newscasters Stopped Speaking Circa 2004
and the state can't wait to rapture us
Love Poem to a Car
One Militia-Man
Klash Joins Us at the Dinner Table
Lebanese Zaatar Mix
II
This Sweet Rupture
White Out
Cloud Seeding the Empty Quarter
For the Syrian Oud Player
Suckers ﺑﺎﻟﺴﺎﺣﺔ
Dogs Myth-Make the Desert
III
Basha Sparrows
God Lives in the Gap Between a Horse's Ears
ورﻣﺎن ﻧﺎر
Sesame Love
Death Attends the ﻋﺰاء
We Stop to Imagine a Skyline without the Fire Stack
Cosmo? Or Lessons in Cultural Un-Communication
Origin Myths or A Poem for Survivor's Guilt - Cut Up
and we can't wait to rapture the state
ذبيحة or قربان or Your First Beheading Video - Part II
Immigrant Father Horticulture
Acknowledgements
