Abbas Beydoun, Brett Stout, trans. Maged Zaher" />
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MagazineFebruary 15, 2014

The Atheists of Paris

When Novels Get High On Fire by Brett Stout

When Novels Get High On Fire by Brett Stout

(I)

 

I had to push my hands away from each other

To push my eyebrows too

The darkness said

What do you hold onto son?

Why your tongue is black

Said the bird:

Because I looked at dirty water

Because we can’t remove the clouds

As we remove the mud

Because clouds are barren

They spit and maybe piss from above

And we can’t separate the dirty laundry

From our tears

Or leave the dead’s tears in their sheets

I had to push my eyes away from each other

To push my eyebrows too

Why are you are so pissed

Said the parrot

I can’t break up the no from the yes

There is some space here

But my heart and my mouth in one place

My heart and teeth in one place

In the same area, in the same hole

Work and support each other

 

(II)

 

The Black man said

I came from the jungle

The Russian man said

I came from snow

For me, I had no problem finding an answer

I came out — undoubtedly —

From the black sand

That I raised in my mouth

~Abbas Beydoun, trans. Maged Zaher

 

Tags

Abbas Beydoundigital editionIssue 11LebanonMaged ZaherWinter Issue

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  1. Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s 2015 Literature Longlist Foregrounds Prominent Authors | Arabic Literature (in English) says:
    October 20, 2014 at 6:09 PM

    […] The Atheists of Paris, Abbas Beydoun, trans. Maged Zaher […]

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One last love letter...

April 24, 2021

It has taken us some time and patience to come to this decision. TMS would not have seen the success that it did without our readers and the tireless team that ran the magazine for the better part of eight years.

But… all good things must come to an end, especially when we look at the ever-expanding art and literary landscape in Pakistan, the country of the magazine’s birth.

We are amazed and proud of what the next generation of creators are working with, the themes they are featuring, and their inclusivity in the diversity of voices they are publishing. When TMS began, this was the world we envisioned…

Though the magazine has closed and our submissions shuttered, this website will remain open for the foreseeable future as an archive of the great work we published and the astounding collection of diverse voices we were privileged to feature.

If, however, someone is interested in picking up the baton, please email Maryam Piracha, the editor, at maryamp@themissingslate.com.

Farewell, fam! It’s been quite a ride.

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