FICTION | PALESTINE
The Piano Teacher
Just published! Fikra Magazine: ‘This musical and lyrical tale of estrangement by the great Ramsey Hanhan is a mastery of reminiscence of the love and terror that have engulfed Palestinians throughout the decennia.’
Short story submitted Sep. 23, 2023; published Mar. 7, 2024.
Read “The Piano Teacher” here (English or Arabic, 2000 words):
https://www.fikra-magazine.com/article/178
“The Piano Teacher” is an improvisation on Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique that explores the worth of human life through the metaphor of silence and sound. The musings of the protagonist, an Armenian piano teacher in Palestine, “a minority within a minority within a minority,” delve into themes of identity and belonging, exile and home, deafness, isolation, and more.
I wrote it this past summer to express the extreme urgency in Palestine and the world’s deafness to our screams, and to draw attention to the threatened Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem.
My deepest gratitude to Zaha Hassan for her valuable edits, and to Fikra Magazine editors, Aisha Hamed and Kevin Kruiter, to editor Sahar Mustafa for valuable edits, and to Baha Hamadna for the poetic Arabic translation.
Proud that my first short story is published in my hometown, Ramallah, Palestine!
With love,
Ramsey Hanhan
Author, Fugitive Dreams
