Fiction – Page 2 – Michigan Quarterly Review

Fiction

from The Book of Kings

Published in Spring 2024 Online Folio The following is an excerpt from The Book of Kings, a novel by Mahtem Shiferraw MAKEDA AXUM, 1370 B.C. The soldiers showed up unannounced, at the break of the night. They lurked quietly, shadows only at first, then lumps and lumps of them – their armors shimmering in the […]

from The Book of Kings Read More »

Published in Spring 2024 Online Folio The following is an excerpt from The Book of Kings, a novel by Mahtem Shiferraw MAKEDA AXUM, 1370 B.C. The soldiers showed up unannounced, at the break of the night. They lurked quietly, shadows only at first, then lumps and lumps of them – their armors shimmering in the

Too Late to Die Young

Published in Spring 2024 Online Folio The most inconvenient thing a lover can do is die. Ndumiso looks at his husband Lifa sitting next to him in the doctor’s office; their hands are clasped and clammy, swinging between them. Dr. Dlamini promised to return shortly, but that was two hours ago. The doctor’s lengthened absence

Too Late to Die Young Read More »

Published in Spring 2024 Online Folio The most inconvenient thing a lover can do is die. Ndumiso looks at his husband Lifa sitting next to him in the doctor’s office; their hands are clasped and clammy, swinging between them. Dr. Dlamini promised to return shortly, but that was two hours ago. The doctor’s lengthened absence

In Plain Sight

Published in Spring 2024 Online Folio It began as a simple ruse: the lie that Jean didn’t understand a word of Kirundi. He wanted to be alone with his marbles, and so had left the sparsely decorated hall, with the soup-and-beer-stained white sheets placed on the formica tables, and clusters of red balloons arranged along

In Plain Sight Read More »

Published in Spring 2024 Online Folio It began as a simple ruse: the lie that Jean didn’t understand a word of Kirundi. He wanted to be alone with his marbles, and so had left the sparsely decorated hall, with the soup-and-beer-stained white sheets placed on the formica tables, and clusters of red balloons arranged along

The People of Gehenna

Published in Issue 63.2: Spring 2024 Why We Chose It: Michigan Quarterly Review reader Hank Hietala on why he recommended “The People of Gehenna” by Tom Olali and translated by Richard Prins for the Spring 2024 issue. You can purchase the issue here. “Reader, his name is Eks.” From the first line, Tom Olali’s writing declares itself. This is

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Published in Issue 63.2: Spring 2024 Why We Chose It: Michigan Quarterly Review reader Hank Hietala on why he recommended “The People of Gehenna” by Tom Olali and translated by Richard Prins for the Spring 2024 issue. You can purchase the issue here. “Reader, his name is Eks.” From the first line, Tom Olali’s writing declares itself. This is

The Last Voyage of Ibn Battûta

Published in Issue 63.2: Spring 2024 Why We Chose It: Michigan Quarterly Review reader Molly Mittelbach on why she recommended “The Last Voyage of Ibn Battûta” for the Spring 2024 issue. You can purchase the issue here. In Amira-Géhanne Khalfallah’s Tangier, every surface seems to live and breathe. Colorful tiles and “what remains of the frescoes” cling to walls that

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Published in Issue 63.2: Spring 2024 Why We Chose It: Michigan Quarterly Review reader Molly Mittelbach on why she recommended “The Last Voyage of Ibn Battûta” for the Spring 2024 issue. You can purchase the issue here. In Amira-Géhanne Khalfallah’s Tangier, every surface seems to live and breathe. Colorful tiles and “what remains of the frescoes” cling to walls that

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