Samira Azzam (Arabic: سميرة عزام) (13 September 1927 – 8 August 1967) was a Palestinian writer, broadcaster, and translator [1] known for her collections of short stories.
[2] Her first set of short stories, Small Things, was published in 1954, and examined women's role in Palestinian society.
Throughout her writing, she does not cast blame as to the cause of these social structures, but rather creates plot lines that characterize these different sub-cultures within Palestinian society, relating them to political situation of this historical period.
[4] Upon her return to Beirut, she began writing for numerous women's publications as well as translating English classics into Arabic.
[6] Major themes in her works included precision and control; her stories often revolved around a specific action or choice.
[4] Throughout this collection, characters struggle and, in many cases, fail in their endeavors, often because they lack a sense of identity or purpose.
[7] Throughout the story, he is not characterized as evil or vengeful, but rather a man of noble character who was so affected by losing everything he loved that he made poor decisions.
Though ultimately unsuccessful, his struggle represents the Palestinian fight for survival, even when faced with insurmountable opposition.
[citation needed] Throughout the 1960s, much of her efforts were put toward drafting a novel, which she reportedly destroyed upon hearing of the Arabs' defeat during the Six-Day War in 1967.