Eden at Dawn by Karim Kattan

As a sandstorm of biblical proportions covers the land, two men cross paths in the labyrinthine old city of Jerusalem, where for centuries lovers have seduced each other by night with tales of jinns, warriors and wild beasts. Gabriel and Isaac fall in love, lose each other and find each other again.

Then, despite the sand-filled wind and the yoke of occupation, they decide to go on holiday, on a road trip through the West Bank, a dangerous act of daring in a divided land.
 
After The Palace on the Higher Hill, Karim Kattan returns to the Palestine of his imagination. Lyrical, languorous and shattering,  Eden at Dawn is a cry for love in the midst of war that confirms the strength of the author’s literary universe.

Widely acclaimed in France, Eden at Dawn was shortlisted for the Prix Renaudot in 2024.
 
Translated by Jeffrey Zukerman