The Storyteller of Jerusalem The Life and Times of Wasif Jawhariyyeh, 1904-1948
SKU: Book_storyteller jerusalemThe Storyteller of Jerusalem The Life and Times of Wasif Jawhariyyeh, 1904-1948
The Storyteller of Jerusalem:
The Life and Times of Wasif Jawhariyyeh, 1904-1948
By Wasif Jawhariyyeh
WINNER OF THE 2014 MEMO PALESTINE BOOK AWARDS
“For those with background knowledge of Palestine under Ottoman and Mandate rule, it will be source of fresh perspectives and details. For those new to the period, the book provides a highly readable, intimate account of life for urban Palestinians. And for all readers, its portrayal of a diverse, vibrant society is a bitter-sweet glimpse into what Palestine might have been, in a world without European and Zionist colonialism.” — Electronic Intifada
The memoirs of Wasif Jawhariyyeh are a remarkable treasure trove of writings on the life, culture, music, and history of Jerusalem.
Spanning over four decades, from 1904 to 1948, they cover a period of enormous and turbulent change in Jerusalem's history, but change lived and recalled from the daily vantage point of the street storyteller. Oud player, music lover and ethnographer, poet, collector, partygoer, satirist, civil servant, local historian, devoted son, husband, father, and person of faith, Wasif viewed the life of his city through multiple roles and lenses. The result is a vibrant, unpredictable, sprawling collection of anecdotes, observations, and yearnings as varied as the city itself.
Reflecting the times of Ottoman rule, the British mandate, and the run-up to the founding of the state of Israel, The Storyteller of Jerusalem offers intimate glimpses of people and events, and of forces promoting confined, divisive ethnic and sectarian identities. Yet, through his passionate immersion in the life of the city, Wasif reveals the communitarian ethos that runs so powerfully through Jerusalem's past. And that offers perhaps the best hope for its future.
Publisher: Interlink
Paperback 384pages
ISBN: 9781566569255
About the Authors
Salim Tamari is a professor of sociology at Birzeit University and co-editor of Jerusalem Quarterly. He is the author of several books, including, most recently, Year of the Locust: The Erasure of Palestine's Ottoman Past.
Issam Nassar is a professor of history at Illinois State University and co-editor of Jerusalem Quarterly. He is the author of several books, including Laqatat Mughayira: al-Tasweer al-fotografi al-mubakir fi falastin (Different Snapshots: Early photography of Palestine).
Nada Elzeer received her doctorate from Durham University and is now senior lector of Arabic at SOAS, University of London.