Prestigious literary prize rewards stories of ordinary life under Israeli occupation

This summer, on the evening of Aug. 24, Suad Amiry was presented with the Viareggio Literature Prize for International Writing.

The Palestinian architect, author and founder-director of the "Riwaq Center for Architectural Conservation" in Ramallah was presented with the annual award, one of the most prestigious in Italy, at the Citadel of the Carnival in Viareggio in front of hundreds of people.

The writer won the award for "understanding life through culture, understanding between people, social and peace progress," over her life's work including her book "Sharon and My Mother-in-Law: Diaries of War in Ramallah, Palestine," published in Italian by Ferltrinelli.

For Amiry, who grew up in Amman, Damascus, Cairo and Beirut and completed a PhD at Edinburgh University in Scotland, the award is more than just a recognition of her own work - it is a recognition of the Palestinian struggle in general.

"At the end of the day, all we want is a normal life," she said at a press conference after the award.

Most important is the need to maintain our humanity, she explained, describing her book as depicting life through its regular details, depicting human life under occupation, the pain and difficulty of little things. For example, when one is unable to leave one's house under curfew, when a family of eight is stuck in a room in Nablus for 106 days, when children are not able to go to school.

Amiry is a deserving winner of the award. She has written and co-authored a number of books on various aspects of Palestinian architecture including: "The Palestinian Village Home," "Traditional Floor Tiles in Palestine," "Earthquake in April," "Manatir: Agricultural Farmhouses in Rural Palestine," and most recently, "Throne Village Architecture." But "Sharon and My Mother-in-Law" is her first major look at Palestinian life under occupation.

While the majority of the stories in the book are tragic, Amiry's style is such that you cannot but find humor in the despair.

"I write as I talk," Amiry told the The Daily Star in a recent interview. "I use humor naturally. In this tragic situation of daily life, the long curfews, the violence and Ariel Sharon's vicious acts, humor is the only reasonable way to describe life.

"I am afraid to even consider another means of expression, the potential explosion of drama entrenched in sadness and frustration, an eruption of emotions, uncountable and unpredictable. Without humor the drama is too heavy."

Amiry's ordinary and extraordinary experiences during the second intifada described in the book and the increased Israeli occupation of the West Bank will go a long way to correcting many a misinformed, or simply uninformed, Western image of daily Palestinian life.

Even the process of her writing is something in which Amiry has to find humor.

"It is an absurd situation, writing from my home in the small hours of the morning, my husband making cappuccino while the Israeli tanks are stationed in front of our house. This is an absurd image - if not described with humor, then how else?" she says. "Humor is an alternative way of telling about Palestine and the Palestinian issue, away from the political discourse."

The stories in the book started as an activity to "kill" time, to pass the long hours of the curfew spent in her house in Ramallah. Amiry e-mailed them to friends; from there on these stories developed a life of their own. They embarked on a long journey and literally traveled the world and eventually became the book.

Amiry explains that she started writing to maintain her sanity. Writing offered space, space to move within, although she liked being at home but after a number of days under curfew it became small.

"I needed to exercise, to stretch my arms. I turned to writing to breathe, to talk, to keep count of days. Under the occupation, which has lasted decades, under curfew which has lasted months, time holds different dimensions."

"These stories are about life. They are about seeking a normal life. The Israeli occupation is special. This occupation is very present. It interferes in the details of daily life. They do not only destroy houses but they also keep the Palestinians awake at night with the noise of their tanks and planes.

"This occupation restricts our movement, controls our shopping, gets in the way of our social life, this occupation forced me to spend 40 days at home with my mother-in-law. This occupation invites itself into our houses, to our living rooms, into the intimacy of our spaces and relationships. At the end of the day I want to walk in my city, visit my friends, invite family from other countries and lead a normal life, regular, uneventful and peaceful."

"Sharon and my Mother-in-Law" has so far been translated into 12 languages, and the English version has just been published by Granta and includes a new selection of short stories. The fact of 12 translations alone is a success. Amiry thinks it is so popular because it is about "a middle class woman talking about home."

"Palestine is a far-away country that makes its way into the news when a bomb explodes. The Palestinians are suicide bombers and refugees. People are tired of the situation in Palestine, the news is all the same, the situation is not changing, people, internationally, know all that, but they do not know the persons, the regular individuals." Amiry told The Daily Star.

"In my book Palestine is a country where people listen to La Traviata, women suffer from menopause, people fall in love and like to drink Earl Grey tea. These are small matters, details from daily life which could be taking place anywhere in the world. Readers from different countries can relate to the stories."

The stories are spontaneous. They tell the truth even if it was not pretty; they are real even if reality is crude. They are of the daily life of regular human beings in irregular circumstances. How absurd priorities become.

Amiry quotes one example: "While I want to save the life of my mother-in-law, she wants to make sure she is packing clothes that match, after weeks of being under curfew, the few hours that we are allowed to move are spent in supermarkets."

When asked how she felt about winning the Viareggio prize Amiry responded that it was a great surprise.

"I am happy and excited that I got this prize. It is prestigious and I am honored. This prize comes as a confirmation of the special connection I feel with Italy. I feel at home in Italy, it is warm like home, but socially more liberal. I enjoy the art and culture, it's remarkable and familiar. I have good friends, and people here are supportive of the Palestinians.

"This prize has crowned my relationship with Italy, it has opened up new venues and spaces for me. I am delighted."

Amiry feels that culture is the means for getting international acknowledgement and support for the Palestinians. People relate to each other through music and dance, through literature and films. A story can build bridges and offers a freer space for expression.

"My book is a story ... about us, the Palestinians," she says.