A Beggar at Damascus Gate
By Yasmine Zahran
Yasmine Zahran was born in Ramallah, Palestine. She was educated at Columbia University, and London University. She earned a doctorate in archeology from the Sorbonne. She is the author of two previous books; one on ancient Palestine, Echoes of History, and a novel, The First Melody.
Cold and alone in an ancient Palestinian village, a traveling archeologist finds the threads of a narrative that will direct his life for the coming decade. Its characters are a Palestinian woman and an English man, each deeply committed to the conflicting demands of love and national loyalties. As the narrator slowly pieces together the fate of the two unfortunate lovers, he also uncovers a tale of treachery, duplicity and passion that highlights the contemporary plight of the enormous number of displaced Palestinians: the final resolution surprises them both and reveals a depth to their commitments that neither had previously realized.
—Cole Swensen
A dark novel...a passionate plot of love, intrigue and suspicion. The pain of Palestine informs every word.
—Miriam Cooke, Duke University
1995 155 pages $12.95 ISBN: 0-942996-24-0
