Khatam Suleimaخاتم سليمى

Shortlisted for the 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (Arab Booker), «Suleima's Ring» by Syrian writer Rima Bali.

Unfolding across Aleppo and Toledo, the novel tells the interwoven stories of half Spanish, half Jewish photographer Lucas and Syrian protagonist Selma. Switching between multiple narrators, it explores the relationships between Selma and Shams al-Din – an Italian musician living in Aleppo with whom she is infatuated – along with Lucas, Lucas’ girlfriend Lola, and his son. The titular ring, at times held by various characters, alludes to the legendary ring of Solomon with its fabled magical powers. Although Selma, Lucas and Shams al-Din are distinct personalities from contrasting backgrounds, they all share one thing: their love for Aleppo, the enthralling and afflicted city buried under the rubble of dreams and lost opportunities. Will Suleima’s magic ring be enough to free the lost souls of Aleppo? Or will it take another Solomon to come to life and reassert his authority over the warring creatures who are left, if he can only find his lost ring? «Suleima’s Ring» draws the reader into an atmosphere permeated by Sufism, perfume, dreams, and passionate love, against the backdrop of the Syrian war. - (arabicfiction.org)

About the author
Rima Bali is a Syrian writer, born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1969. After studying Commerce and Economics at Aleppo University, she worked in the tourism and hotel sector, managing a historic hotel in old Aleppo until the outbreak of the war in the city. She continued to live there during the first three years of the conflict, before leaving Syria in 2015. She now resides in Madrid, Spain.