Diana Matar Evidence Years ago Diana’s father-in-law Jaballa, a Libyan opposition leader, was kidnapped by the Egyptian secret service and handed over to the Gaddafi regime; he has been missing since. Crafted as an homage to one man, this beautiful and very personal book shows the cruel effects of dictatorship on intimate relationships and family life.
E V I D E N C E
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D I AN A
M AT AR
E V I D E N C E
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D I AN A
M AT AR
For H , M and Z.
For H , M and Z.
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9
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9
Easter 2005. Cairo.
This is a man’s house, even though your wife has lived here alone for the past 20 years. She has the custom of
rearranging the living and dining areas each few months, and every time I visit
the configuration is decidedly different. Yet with each of these moves there
remains a chair, a place setting, ready for you at the head of the table.
Easter 2005. Cairo.
This is a man’s house, even though your wife has lived here alone for the past 20 years. She has the custom of
rearranging the living and dining areas each few months, and every time I visit
the configuration is decidedly different. Yet with each of these moves there
remains a chair, a place setting, ready for you at the head of the table.
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13
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13
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15
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15
16 |
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17
16 |
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17
I imagine you light and agile, always greeting the maid with respect.
I imagine men pausing in conversation,
waiting for you to speak, and your wife wanting to make things graceful for
you; your shirts ironed, your salads
well seasoned, your papers dusted but left undisturbed.
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19
I imagine you light and agile, always greeting the maid with respect.
I imagine men pausing in conversation,
waiting for you to speak, and your wife wanting to make things graceful for
you; your shirts ironed, your salads
well seasoned, your papers dusted but left undisturbed.
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19
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21
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21
October 2005. Cairo.
I think I see the form of your foot
in the outline of my husband’s feet.
I know this slight detail of DNA must come from you because my husband and his brother have the same lean feet with a second toe longer than the
first. Their mother’s foot is wide with soft plump toes that descend, each one shorter than the one before.
October 2005. Cairo.
I think I see the form of your foot
in the outline of my husband’s feet.
I know this slight detail of DNA must come from you because my husband and his brother have the same lean feet with a second toe longer than the
first. Their mother’s foot is wide with soft plump toes that descend, each one shorter than the one before.