The Algarve-based publisher Traça Edições published in Portugal the work "Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear", debut poetry book by Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha. The book, originally published in 2022 by City Lights, was built from the author's experience in Gaza, first as a child and, later, as a young father.
Throughout the work, the poet addresses living under siege, the destruction caused by successive military attacks, and the daily life of a population marked by confinement and surveillance. Traça Edições notes that Mosab Abu Toha is a survivor of four brutal military attacks and witnesses an endless cycle of destruction, although his poetry is inspired by profound humanity. The texts combine images of rubble and surveillance drones with intimate elements like the smell of tea, roses in bloom, or the view of the sea at sunset.
The Portuguese edition, with 136 pages, includes an in-depth interview conducted by Ammiel Alcalay, in which the author discusses life in Gaza, his family's origins, and the journey that led him to poetry. The cover and translation are by Cöbramor, with revision by Ana Guimil and Paulo Pereira.
Mosab Abu Toha is a Palestinian poet, short story writer, and essayist originally from Gaza, founder of the Edward Said Library, and between 2019 and 2020 was a featured poet and resident librarian at Harvard University. The work won the Palestine Book Award in 2022, and the author has also won a Pulitzer and a nomination as a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle.