Dissident Syria: Making Oppositional Arts Official Book

Acknowledgments     vii
Introduction     3
"Culture is Humanity's Highest Need"     19
As If ...     20
Slogans, Slogans Everywhere     26
Freedom and Democracy     30
Our Literature Does Not Leave the Country     36
Nadia al-Ghazzi     39
Colette al-Khuri     42
No Such Thing as Women's Literature     48
Ulfat Idilbi     49
Salons and Mallahat al-Khani     53
Nadia Khust and the Nadwa     57
Commissioned Criticism     65
Culture after the Fall of the Wall     68
Commissioned Criticism     72
The Fantasy of Choice     77
Dissident Performances     81
Performing Dissidence     84
The Ghoul     87
Historical Miniatures     92
Filming Dreams     100
The Extras     102
Dreaming Features     106
Documenting Dreams     116
Lighten Your Step     121
Ibrahim Samu'il     124
Waiting     127
Ghassan al-Jaba'i     130
Lessons from a Rogue State     142
Leaving Damascus     145
Postscript     160
Notes     167
Bibliography     177
Index     187