The Mosaic Rooms is pleased to present the London launch of Anwar Hamed’s Jaffa Prepares Morning Coffee. The novel takes place in the Palestinian city of Jaffa and the nearby village of Bait Dajan in the 1940s. Unlike many other novels set in this period, Jaffa Prepares Morning Coffee tells the story of people’s ordinary, daily lives prior to the tragedy.

This is Hamed’s latest novel, it was long listed for the 2013 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) one of the most prestigious and important literary prizes in the Arab world. Read an interview with Hamed about the book here

Anwar Hamed was born in the West Bank in 1957, which is where he began writing and publishing his stories. In 1980 he moved to Hungary, and there he found a new audience for his work. He is the author of The Bridge of Babylon, Stones of Pain, Scheherazade Tells Tales No More, and The Game of Love and Pride. Hamed moved to London in 2004 and currently works as a journalist at the BBC.

Hamed will do readings in both English and Arabic, and there will be copies of the book available for signing. Please note that Jaffa Prepares Morning Coffee is only available in Arabic.

FREE, rsvp@mosaicrooms.org

Don’t forget to check our screenings page for forthcoming films at The Mosaic Rooms.