Recognising the Stranger

An outstanding and moving essay on the Palestinian struggle, Edward Said and the power of narrative.

From the Women's Prize for Fiction-shortlisted and RSL Encore Award-winning author of Enter Ghost

Award-winning author of The Parisian and Enter Ghost, Isabella Hammad delivered the Edward W. Said Lecture at Columbia University nine days before 7 October 2023. The text of Hammad's seminal speech and her afterword, written in the early weeks of 2024, together make up a searing appraisal of the war on Palestine during what feels like a turning point in the narrative of human history.

Moving and erudite, Hammad writes from within the moment, shedding light on the Palestinian struggle for freedom. Recognising the Stranger is a brilliant melding of literary and cultural analysis by one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists and a foremost writer of fiction in the world today.

Praise for Recognising the Stranger

'Recognising the Stranger combines intellectual brilliance with moral clarity and profound resoluteness of purpose.' — Sally Rooney

'A pitch-perfect example of how the novelist can get to the heart of the matter better than a million argumentative articles. Hammad shows us how the Palestinian struggle is the story of humanity itself, and asks us not to look away but to see ourselves.' — Max Porter

'Hammad's writing burns with fierce intelligence, humane insight and righteous anger. For those at risk of despair, doubtful of the role literature has to play in times of crisis, it is a reminder of the radical potential of reading and the possibility of change.' — Olivia Sudjic

'Extraordinary and amazingly erudite. Hammad shows how art and especially literature can be much, much more revealing than political writing.' — Rashid Khalidi