In this post we suggest a list of books about Palestine, written by Palestinian authors. Many of them have been forced to leave Palestine, and are still living in exile.
Literature is an important form of resistance and a tool for changing the narrative perpetuated by the occupying country. With their work these writers contribute to recording events and maintaining historical memory.
Against the loveless world
Let’s begin with Susan Abulawa, one of the most renowned and widely translated contemporary Palestinian writers. In her novel the main character tells her story from the isolation of an Israeli jail. Her journey takes us from Kuwail to Jordan, and ultimately to Palestine where Nahr experiences both the joy of returning to her homeland and the tragedy of life under occupation.
Minor detail
Adania Shibli short novel contains two stories, two voices, and two historical periods, masterfully illustrating how the dramatic Palestinian present is inseparable from the past. In the first half, she recounts a tragic episode carried out by Israeli troops in 1948 — a “minor detail” investigate by a Palestinian journalist in the present day, in the second part of the the novel.
Men in the sun
Ghassan Kanafani is considered one of the main Palestinian authors of his generation. In Men in the Sun, published in 1962, he tells the story of three Palestinian men of different ages to depict the Palestinian diaspora and the experience of migrants forced to leave their homeland in search of a better life. Born in 1936, Kanafani experienced the Nakba firsthand and, after being forced to leave his land in 1948, wrote his novel from exile. He was assassinated in Lebanon in 1972.
The book of disappearance
More recent is the innovative The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem. One ordinary night, all Palestinians suddenly vanish into thin air, and by morning, Israelis wake up in a world without their enemy — but also without their neighbor, the nurse, the laborer. A thought-provoking book, it explores the occupation and the underlying reasons that sustain it. A poignant and visionary book that was longlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize.
Gaza writes back
This anthology collects twenty-three short stories, one for each day of the Israeli military offensive Operation Cast Lead, which took place in Gaza in 2008/09. The stories are written by young Palestinian writers and are part of the We Are Not Numbers project, co-founded by Refaat Alareer, poet, writer, and university professor, who was killed in Gaza in 2023. More relevant than ever, this collection bears witness to the resilience of the Palestinian people, who refuse to give up and continue to seek freedom and hope, even in the darkest of times.
Power born of dreams, my story is Palestine
A graphic novel by Mohammad Sabaneeh, a powerful visual work that tells the story of the relationship between a prisoner and a bird. The black-and-white illustrations capture the brutal experience of imprisonment, which the author has lived through himself. The protagonist’s dialogues with the bird add a metaphorical layer, reminding us that hope and solidarity can bloom even in the harshest of circumstances.
Don’t look left: a diary of a genocide
We end this collection of books about Palestine with Diary of a Genocide by Atef Abu Saif — a detailed and harrowing account of a never-ending war, told through the firsthand experience of the author, who had traveled to Gaza with his son on October 5 to visit family. A necessary read to understand and honor the facts, and to ensure none will say “we didn’t know.”
Barbara Amalberti
Cover photo Pixabay