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Fritz Agency
Christian Dittus
Original language
English

THE TEETH OF THE COMB

Osama Alomar

And Other Stories

Wonderful short stories that sharpen awareness, from a brilliantly gifted Syrian refugee

Personified animals (snakes, wolves, sheep), natural things (a swamp, a lake, a rainbow, trees), mankind's creations (trucks, swords, zeroes) are all characters in The Teeth of the Comb. They aspire, they plot, they hope, they destroy, they fail, they love. These wonderful small stories animate new realities and make us see our reality anew. Reading Alomar's sly moral fables and sharp political allegories, the reader always sits up a little straighter, and a little wiser. Here is the title story:

Some of the teeth of the comb were envious of the class differences that exist between humans. They strived desperately to increase their height, and, when they succeeded, began to look with disdain on their colleagues below.

After a little while the comb's owner felt a desire to comb his hair. But when he found the comb in this state he threw it in the garbage.

Osama Alomar was born in Damascus, Syria in 1968 and now lives in Chicago. A poet, short-story writer, and musician, Alomar is the author of three collections of short stories and a volume of poetry. He is a regular contributor to various newspapers and journals within the Arab world.

(Translated from the Arabic by C. J. Collins, Collins is a librarian and a translator based in Queens, NY. )
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Published 2017-04-01 by New Directions

Comments

In the Arab world, the Syrian writer Osama Alomar has a growing reputation as the author of short, clever parables that comment obliquely on political and social issues. But here in Chicago, where he has lived in exile since 2008, he spends most of his time as the driver of Car 45 at the Horizon Taxi Cab company.” (Larry Rohter)

There are no wasted words in Alomar's beautiful collection of very short fictions. Philosophical and subversive, these tiny parables deconstruct human failings with a keen insight. (...) These stories deliver the kind of stunning maxims that a cunning master might spout to an eagerly waiting acolyte. By working together with C.J. Collins on the translation, the author succeeds in highlighting the inherent poetics of his prose. (...) Alomar's writing brims with hope, and this slim volume is full of compassion and depth. (starred review) Read more...

In Alomar's stories, fantasy never devolves into mere whimsy. His magical imaginative creations are, every one, inspired by his deeply felt philosophical, moral, and political convictions, giving these tales a heartfelt urgency. -- Lydia Davis

Mexico: Malpaso