شتاء و شمس بار / وحدة قاتلة و سكون فارغ / ساعة واقفة و حياة تمشي / -غربة بعيدة / أين أنا و كيف أنا و أين هو / أبحث عن عشيقي و أنيسي / رأيته مقبلا / بهدوء خانق…
غيبوبة زمن
Poetry
Arabic Coffee | القهوة العربية
The theme of our debut issue is Arabic Coffee – al-gahwa al-arabia. Arabic coffee is almost an omnipresent beverage in Saudi society. It’s served at both restaurants and in homes, for private visits as well as big parties. It’s present at funerals and weddings alike. Most importantly, Arabic coffee is used in Saudi culture to welcome guests. We at Jahanamiya want to welcome our readers to our first issue with a fresh cup of Arabic coffee.
منذ القدم كانت ولا زالت القهوة العربية رمز الضيافة والكرم في جزيرة العرب، في جميع مناسباتنا الاجتماعية، ونحن في سعادةٍ أو حزن… عند الغني والفقير… مع القريب والغريب… دائماً القهوة العربية معنا، وفي إفتتاح جهنمية أحببنا أن نرحب بقرائنا الكرام بتقديم فنجان قهوة.
Edited by Ahd Niazy | Cover Art by Zahra Bundakji | Special thanks to Majed Munshi & Ahmed B.
Issue Contents
روح و فنجان
Poetry
شممت رائحة الموت / في هواء تلك الغرفة / سرابيل من السيدات / في غدو و رحيل / كلمات مبعثرة / و أصوات أنين…
فوبيا القهوة العربية
Fiction
رائحة القهوة العربية تملأ المكان، وكأن الهواء أصبح بدلاً من أن يحمل في ثناياه مختلف الغازات أصبح يحمل مختلف البهارات، رائحةُ الزعفران والقرنفل والهيل والقهوة خليطٌ عجيبٌ من الروائح التي ترتبط في الذاكرة بالطفولة، بنشأتنا في بيوتنا الحجازية القديمة.
When a Man Dies
Poetry
“We mourn in a single room. Beneath the dirty window, / a mother plays idly with the hand of her smallest child, / taking tiny palm between her own, & pushing down…”
The Month of Eating
Creative Non-Fiction
“Guests claimed their seats at the dining room table, shuffling around to sit beside one another and moving all the kids to one side of the table. As this happened, exclamations over the feast before us could be heard.”
Salon of Approval
Creative Non-Fiction
“They were always talking about destinations – losing a few pounds, getting a higher professional position, or perhaps trips to Paris, London, or Istanbul. They talked fearlessly about what they wanted…”
Hospitality in a Finjan
Creative Non-Fiction
“Hospitality has transformed into an unhealthy competition amongst the Saudi elite – an aggressive sport of one-upmanship in the form of lavish displays of table settings, exquisitely presented food, and pictures of these exclusive dinners”
Coffee in Air
Creative Non-Fiction
“I carefully sip the steaming drink, aware of the caffeine entering my bloodstream and aware of the fact that I am on an airplane, the thrill of traveling hits me. My favorites flights are outbound – exiting my country.”
An Acquired Taste
Creative Non-Fiction
“It takes a while to get used to such brutal honesty in a world full of mujamalat and friendliness so superficial it borderlines the surreal. “Prozac nation,” my sister calls it.”
Why My Coffee is Green
Fiction
“Hail pounded / in mortar & pestle, / pale powdered beans / tempered / with the barest heat. // I sip this brew / because dates marry / the taste of cardamom / & life is as simple / as this taste, this place.”