Imprint
- Tinder Press
- Tinder Press
These Bodies of Water: A Personal History of the British Empire in the Middle East
Sabrina Mahfouz
Middle East, British Empire, Memoirs, Middle Eastern history
A powerful meditation on the influence of the British Empire in the Middle East, intertwining history, politics, poetry, myth and personal experience from poet and playwright Sabrina Mahfouz
'Impossible to put down while you're reading, and impossible to forget about when you've finished' Glamour
After a gruelling job interview where she was interrogated about everything from her political leanings to her family background, Sabrina Mahfouz realised that one unspoken question had pervaded her entire life: as a woman of Middle Eastern heritage, could she really be trusted?
Years later, Sabrina found herself confronting this question and how it was specifically informed by the British Empire's historical dominance in the Middle East. Taking us on a journey of the Middle-Eastern coastlines and waterways that were so vital to the Empire's hold, and combining memoir, history, politics, myth and poetry, These Bodies of Water is a tapestry of writing that tells the unacknowledged story of Britain's relationship with the Middle East in the most revealing terms.
'A writer of staggering conviction, ingenuity and integrity' Kae Tempest
'Brilliant and profound' Nikesh Shukla
'A bold, brave look at the ways imperialism affects us all' Riz AhmedMore books by Sabrina Mahfouz
Praise for These Bodies of Water: A Personal History of the British Empire in the Middle East
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Sabrina Mahfouz is a tidal wave of truth swallowing the banks of empire with a torrent of information which will not be damned. These Bodies of Water is so vast, yet achingly intimate. It is a brilliant piece of work which had me hooked from start to finish. Only one person could tell this story. One person in the whole world. I am just pleased to be the other person who read it. Now you can too
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Sabrina Mahfouz's poetic talents come to the forefront in this lyrical meditation on the influence of the British Empire in the Middle East. Part memoir, part history, These Bodies of Water defies categorisation in favour of a lucid, tumbling narrative that sweeps you along for the ride. Like all truly brilliant books, it's impossible to put down while you're reading, and impossible to forget about when you've finished - Glamour
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I loved THESE BODIES OF WATER. It's fierce, intelligent, and wise, and everyone should read it
Sabrina Mahfouz
Sabrina Mahfouz was raised in London and Cairo and has recently been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and is the recipient of the 2018 King's Alumni Arts & Culture Award for inspiring change in the industry.
She was also nominated for the Inspiring Change Award at the 2018 Women in the Creative Industries Awards and her Snapchat series for C4's Ackley Bridge won a Broadcast Digital Award. She has been shortlisted for the Arts Foundation Award for Performance Poetry and has won a Sky Arts Academy Award for Poetry and a Westminster Prize for New Playwrights.
Sabrina's theatre work includes Chef, a Fringe First Award winner; Dry Ice, for which she was nominated in The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence; With a Little Bit of Luck, which has been performed at the Roundhouse main space and was the first radio drama commissioned for BBC Radio 1xtra. She is currently adapting Malorie Blackman's celebrated novel Noughts & Crosses for Pilot Theatre.
She also writes for children and her play Zeraffa Giraffa (based on the book by Diane Hofmeyr) won a 2018 Off West End Award.
Her poetry collection, How You Might Know Me, was a 2017 Guardian Best Summer Read.
Sabrina is the editor of The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write, a 2017 Guardian Book of the Year and currently nominated for The People's Book Prize.
She is an essay contributor to the multi-award-winning The Good Immigrant and is currently writing a biopic of the legendary 'Godfather of Grime', rapper and producer Wiley, for Pulse Films.
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