TASTING THE SKY, A Palestinian Childhood (Dutch Edition)
Interview with Author and Poet Ibtisam Barakat regarding the Dutch Edition, for Palestine Link:
By Ghada Zeidan, Palestine Link www.palestinelink.eu October 25, 2011
GZ - Q1: Your book which has been translated into Dutch, is a memoir; can you tell us something about your childhood in Palestine and what inspired you to write this book?
IB: I grew up under occupation, which meant having few rights, compromised social conditions, censorship of thoughts and feelings, and always living in fear and uncertainty. I did not know anything about living as a citizen in a free country. I wrote TASTING THE SKY because in the face of being told in many ways that I don't exist as a Palestinian, I wanted to create something concrete, such as a book, that resists the erasing of Palestinian memory and the details of Palestinian life, especially the beautiful moments that get lost under the news about fights and conflicts. I needed to write this book to repair the fragmentation of the story of my childhood, to make it whole in some way. When I lived it, I rushed through it to survive. When I wrote it, I felt it more fully!
GZ - Q2: Why did you chose this title for your book? Can you explain what you mean with tasting the sky in the title.
The title comes from a passage on page 92 in the book when I describe my relationship with the house I lived in as a child then had to leave it, and the effect of the land and the sky on me and how birds inspired me with their unlimited horizons and ability to move.
GZ - Q3: Tasting the Sky has been a best selling book on Amazon in more than one category, and it is at this time available in six languages and an electronic version. What kind of reactions did you get on your memoir so far?
The book has been successful. It won many awards including the International Reading Association's best book, and the Arab American book award. It's an American Library Association Notable Book and has been designated a book for a Global Society. Many libraries around the world carry it, and thousands of schools teach it in different languages. I get letters from students in high schools and colleges, from professors and many others telling me that they learned something about Palestine and being Palestinian that they didn't know before. Also they say that they enjoyed the artistry in the writing, and often they tell me something about themselves and how they could relate to events in the book. Currently, I am writing a sequel for TASTING THE SKY because many readers ask me to tell them what happened next. It's part 2 of the story of growing up in Palestine.
GZ - Q4: The cover for the Dutch version of your book is so different from all the other versions. Who chose this cover? Does the cover represent your book? And how do you feel about this choice? Also how do you compare it to the covers of other languages?
I am happy that the book exists in Dutch to give readers of the Dutch language a chance to know this Palestinian story. So I thank the publishing company that chose to translate the book. Regarding the cover of the Dutch edition, it has the picture of a girl wearing a hijab, head cover, and holding up a text that resembles a religious text. The girl in the book, however, does not wear a hijab, but I do think that the person choosing the Dutch cover tried to convey, somehow, the importance of reading and writing to the girl in the book. Book covers in translation vary and the author is often not consulted. For example, the Spanish cover has an enchanted lovely picture of a girl wearing a dress with short sleeves and is playing with butterflies. The French edition cover, however, has the picture of a girl watching an army Jeeb. I think readers themselves will ultimately decide about the representation of the story to the cover of the book in their hands. And each person probably will have a different view based on her/his experience of reading the story.
GZ - Q5: What would you like to say to the Dutch readers of your book?
Thank you for reading TASTING THE SKY, a Palestinian Childhood, and thank you for caring about the Palestinian people and people all over the world. I hope that you will enjoy the book and find that it contributes to a richer and more inclusive picture of the world. If while reading, you wonder about my friend Alef, who is my best friend in the story, I'd like to introduce him here: A song for Alef. And please feel free to contact me via the contact page on this website if you wish to share any feedback regarding TASTING THE SKY.
Thank you for reading.
By Ghada Zeidan, Palestine Link www.palestinelink.eu October 25, 2011
GZ - Q1: Your book which has been translated into Dutch, is a memoir; can you tell us something about your childhood in Palestine and what inspired you to write this book?
IB: I grew up under occupation, which meant having few rights, compromised social conditions, censorship of thoughts and feelings, and always living in fear and uncertainty. I did not know anything about living as a citizen in a free country. I wrote TASTING THE SKY because in the face of being told in many ways that I don't exist as a Palestinian, I wanted to create something concrete, such as a book, that resists the erasing of Palestinian memory and the details of Palestinian life, especially the beautiful moments that get lost under the news about fights and conflicts. I needed to write this book to repair the fragmentation of the story of my childhood, to make it whole in some way. When I lived it, I rushed through it to survive. When I wrote it, I felt it more fully!
GZ - Q2: Why did you chose this title for your book? Can you explain what you mean with tasting the sky in the title.
The title comes from a passage on page 92 in the book when I describe my relationship with the house I lived in as a child then had to leave it, and the effect of the land and the sky on me and how birds inspired me with their unlimited horizons and ability to move.
GZ - Q3: Tasting the Sky has been a best selling book on Amazon in more than one category, and it is at this time available in six languages and an electronic version. What kind of reactions did you get on your memoir so far?
The book has been successful. It won many awards including the International Reading Association's best book, and the Arab American book award. It's an American Library Association Notable Book and has been designated a book for a Global Society. Many libraries around the world carry it, and thousands of schools teach it in different languages. I get letters from students in high schools and colleges, from professors and many others telling me that they learned something about Palestine and being Palestinian that they didn't know before. Also they say that they enjoyed the artistry in the writing, and often they tell me something about themselves and how they could relate to events in the book. Currently, I am writing a sequel for TASTING THE SKY because many readers ask me to tell them what happened next. It's part 2 of the story of growing up in Palestine.
GZ - Q4: The cover for the Dutch version of your book is so different from all the other versions. Who chose this cover? Does the cover represent your book? And how do you feel about this choice? Also how do you compare it to the covers of other languages?
I am happy that the book exists in Dutch to give readers of the Dutch language a chance to know this Palestinian story. So I thank the publishing company that chose to translate the book. Regarding the cover of the Dutch edition, it has the picture of a girl wearing a hijab, head cover, and holding up a text that resembles a religious text. The girl in the book, however, does not wear a hijab, but I do think that the person choosing the Dutch cover tried to convey, somehow, the importance of reading and writing to the girl in the book. Book covers in translation vary and the author is often not consulted. For example, the Spanish cover has an enchanted lovely picture of a girl wearing a dress with short sleeves and is playing with butterflies. The French edition cover, however, has the picture of a girl watching an army Jeeb. I think readers themselves will ultimately decide about the representation of the story to the cover of the book in their hands. And each person probably will have a different view based on her/his experience of reading the story.
GZ - Q5: What would you like to say to the Dutch readers of your book?
Thank you for reading TASTING THE SKY, a Palestinian Childhood, and thank you for caring about the Palestinian people and people all over the world. I hope that you will enjoy the book and find that it contributes to a richer and more inclusive picture of the world. If while reading, you wonder about my friend Alef, who is my best friend in the story, I'd like to introduce him here: A song for Alef. And please feel free to contact me via the contact page on this website if you wish to share any feedback regarding TASTING THE SKY.
Thank you for reading.