Review by KitabuKizuri -- Divided World
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KitabuKizuri
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Review by KitabuKizuri -- Divided World
[Following is a volunteer review of "Divided World" by Kenneth Pickering.]
Divided World: Plays of Occupation and Dispossession is a book written by various playwrights, namely: Kenneth Pickering, Hannah Khalil, Kate Al Hadid and Hassan Abdulrazzak. It is published by Arts Canteen.
A girl’s dialogue on phone reveals the situation a pair of siblings are facing living in the City of London away from their Arabic homeland, with the unproductive brother more concerned with activism and charity work than his own personal affairs and contribution to domestic affairs.
An Arab girl with interest in archaeology confronts a sculpture of in a British museum that belongs to their motherland. All this time, she’s contemplating handing over an artefact she recently found.
Reem, a woman in her early thirties, narrates of a peaceful time in Syria but a revolt and the gradual onset of war leads her and her family to migrate to Europe. They risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean on a dingy in the process and pitch makeshift tents while in France.
These and other plays are presented in a book that has an introduction for each playwright and a summary of their backgrounds. The book is arranged such that any team that sets out to present the plays has an easy source of reference on each page to pin-point the actors’ lines.
The plays are set in modern times giving us a perspective of how the Arabs see their world and how they adapt and cope with their plight considering the recent changes in most of their regions arising from conflicts and the ‘Arab spring’.
What I liked most about the book is the coming together of different styles of writing from unique perspectives resulting in a diverse range of content, albeit in a book that can be read in a single sitting. For instance, the simple phone monologue play brings out the feelings of both the girl and her mother on the other end of the line, even when the mother isn’t present in the scene. There wasn’t much I found to dislike about the book.
I would recommend it to people who enjoy reading plays and appreciate the opportunity to learn something about Arabic culture, as well as acting troupes looking for current content for their plays.
Not all audiences may understand it immediately if it were to be played by actors from a different race to the Arabic, though, but that’s just my opinion. Experienced actors may very well execute the nuances of the contents of the plays if the proper costumes and settings were utilized. I wouldn’t recommend it to a young audience due to adult content and some strong language.
The great editing and arrangement of easily navigable content in the book convinces me that it is worthy of 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Divided World
View: on Bookshelves
Divided World: Plays of Occupation and Dispossession is a book written by various playwrights, namely: Kenneth Pickering, Hannah Khalil, Kate Al Hadid and Hassan Abdulrazzak. It is published by Arts Canteen.
A girl’s dialogue on phone reveals the situation a pair of siblings are facing living in the City of London away from their Arabic homeland, with the unproductive brother more concerned with activism and charity work than his own personal affairs and contribution to domestic affairs.
An Arab girl with interest in archaeology confronts a sculpture of in a British museum that belongs to their motherland. All this time, she’s contemplating handing over an artefact she recently found.
Reem, a woman in her early thirties, narrates of a peaceful time in Syria but a revolt and the gradual onset of war leads her and her family to migrate to Europe. They risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean on a dingy in the process and pitch makeshift tents while in France.
These and other plays are presented in a book that has an introduction for each playwright and a summary of their backgrounds. The book is arranged such that any team that sets out to present the plays has an easy source of reference on each page to pin-point the actors’ lines.
The plays are set in modern times giving us a perspective of how the Arabs see their world and how they adapt and cope with their plight considering the recent changes in most of their regions arising from conflicts and the ‘Arab spring’.
What I liked most about the book is the coming together of different styles of writing from unique perspectives resulting in a diverse range of content, albeit in a book that can be read in a single sitting. For instance, the simple phone monologue play brings out the feelings of both the girl and her mother on the other end of the line, even when the mother isn’t present in the scene. There wasn’t much I found to dislike about the book.
I would recommend it to people who enjoy reading plays and appreciate the opportunity to learn something about Arabic culture, as well as acting troupes looking for current content for their plays.
Not all audiences may understand it immediately if it were to be played by actors from a different race to the Arabic, though, but that’s just my opinion. Experienced actors may very well execute the nuances of the contents of the plays if the proper costumes and settings were utilized. I wouldn’t recommend it to a young audience due to adult content and some strong language.
The great editing and arrangement of easily navigable content in the book convinces me that it is worthy of 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Divided World
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: Mysteries Of the First Instant by Daniel Friedmann
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Eriny Youssef
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I like what you said about your favorite part, very well written. Thanks for the review.
Latest Review: Yesterday by Samyann
