“House of Colors” is a new novel by Palestinian narrator Mahmoud Shokeir that explores the life of artist Ismail Shammout and his wife, artist Tamam Al-Akhal, and her book “The Hand Sees and The Heart Draws.”
The novel revolves around the connections Ismail and Tamam had with other artists, poets, politicians, and prominent women. It also recalls what both introduced to Palestine and its people through their art, and documents some of their personal and artistic journeys.
“When I woke up in the morning, I remembered my weird dream. I instantly looked for my shoes and found them near my bed. I checked their color; it was brown, definitely.
In my dream, I saw myself wearing two-color shoes when I entered the classroom where I teach language. Yes, two-color shoes; the right one was blue, and the left one was white. I felt embarrassed while the students looked at my unfamiliar shoes. But they didn’t seem surprised, and when they stood up in respect (a tradition in our schools), I saw their shoes, and they looked just like mine, which disturbed me until I woke up in the morning.
Before I go to sleep that night, I read ‘The Hand Sees and The Heart Draws,’ a book by Tamam Al-Akhal. I liked what she wrote about herself and her husband Ismail, the suffering journey they both experienced, and the misery of people displaced from their homes. I also liked the two-color shoes of Ismail -the right shoe was blue, and the left was white – then I recalled many shoes in many contrasted situations.
Tamam’s book took me back years in the past, when I saw her and Ismail once in Jerusalem,” Shokeir writes on the novel’s back cover.
Designed by Ayman Harb, the cover of the novel features a painting by Tamam Al-Akhal named “House in Jaffa.”
“House of Colors” comprises 95 pages and was issued by Dar Tibaq publishing house, Palestine.
