Nayrouz Qarmout, a Palestinian writer from Gaza, has recently published two books in Cairo, Egypt: "The Sea Cloak and Braid Stories" and "Crossing." In an interview with Egyptian, Arab, and international newspapers and media outlets, Qarmout spoke about the importance of Palestinian literature and its ability to transcend borders.

"The lived reality has formed a living theater for activating the literary imagination, not only in Gaza, but in all regions of Palestine and its diaspora," Qarmout said. " in the diversity of Palestinian experiences, which, despite their varying details and manifestations of their suffering under occupation, are united by the human being, whether a woman, a man, or a child, who only dreams 'With a life like life.'"

Qarmout's work has been praised for its humanism and its ability to capture the everyday realities of Palestinians living under occupation. Her short story collection "The Sea Cloak" won the British PEN Award for works translated into English in 2017, and her work has been translated into Italian, Dutch, and English.

In her interview, Qarmout also spoke about the importance of Palestinian literature in promoting solidarity with the Palestinian cause. "The Palestinian has the human cause through which justice is redefined in this world," she said. "And alongside us are many who are in solidarity and support the justice of the cause and the stolen rights of its people."

Qarmout's work is an important contribution to Palestinian literature and to the global conversation about Palestine. Her writing is a powerful reminder of the human cost of occupation and the resilience of the Palestinian people.

Qarmout, who won the British PEN Award for works translated into English in 2017, and whose short story collection topped the list of best-selling books at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2019, considers the international response to her work to be a testament to the power of the human voice in literature.

In an interview with the “Raseef 22” website, Qarmout said that she is looking for balance in outlook when it comes to presenting the human experience of the Palestinian people. She believes that literature should be based on a vision of the surrounding reality, but that it should also be formulated with imagination and simplicity.

In an interview with Al-Ahram newspaper, Qarmout commented on what was stated in one of the reviews of the English version of “The Mantle of the Sea” about her influence by the writing of the great Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz. She said that she is honored by the comparison, but that she believes that creativity is based on uniqueness and soaring into new spaces.

Qarmout concluded her speech to Al-Ahram newspaper by saying, “Go to Palestine. If you have walked from the south to the south, then a journey to the north and complete vision will only be from the Egypt of turquoise and the moon.”

Nayrouz Qarmout is a Palestinian writer from Gaza. She is a writer, researcher, and journalist defending youth, women, and human rights. She was born in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria in 1984, and returned with her family to the Gaza Strip in 1994. She studied pharmacy and obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Al-Azhar University in Gaza. She worked in the Palestinian Ministry of Women's Affairs. She has many studies and research papers, and hundreds of opinion articles in the Palestinian, Arab and international press.

Qarmout has published five books: “The Sea Cloak” (11 short stories) in English (The Sea Cloak), Italian (Il mantello del mare) and Dutch (De Zeemantel); Recently, the Egyptian “Merrit” publishing house, in cooperation with the Palestinian “Raya Publishing House,” published in Cairo the “Bahr’s Cloak and Braid Stories” collection, which includes 15 short stories in 212 medium-sized pages, and the “Obour” series, which includes the stories of “How Women Reclaim Their Bodies After the War.” "And "Dice" and "Alfredo Rouge".