Palestinian author and architect-academic Suad Amiri is visiting Malta in April for the launch of the Maltese version of her best-selling book Sharon and my Mother-In-Law (2004), translated into Maltese by Jean Paul Borg  entitled Sharon u l-Kunjata and published by SKS Publishers.

The Ramallah-based author had a runaway success with her book of chronicles in occupied Ramallah and other Arab cities.  Employing a sharp and witty style, Amiri, who graduated from universities in the United States and Edinburgh, details life, often emotionally charged, in the West Bank.  She describes episodes both tragic and humorous and the bizarre is never far off Amiri’s target. 

She can find therapeutic relief in the cynical attitudes with which she confronts the Israeli occupiers as well as in ridiculous instances, like when she visits the kitsch market and concludes how ‘vulgar” Palestine has become.  This flippant attitude contrasts sharply with Amiri’s sense of historical aesthetics, as she leads a small group of volunteers in their attempts at recapturing the beauty of Palestine’s rural architectural heritage.

The Ramallah Diaries (under the general title of Sharon and my Mother-In-Law) has been translated into twenty languages and was awarded the prestigious Viareggio and Ninino Prizes in Italy. Suad Amiry will be giving first hand information on the book which will be launched at St James Cavalier Valletta on Friday 24 April. The general public is invited to attend.