A Mask the Colour of the Sky

This is a new book. Condition: Brand New.

A novel of identity and resistance from one of Palestine's most striking literary voices-written entirely from behind bars

Nur, a Palestinian refugee from a camp near Ramallah, is often mistaken for an Ashkenazi Jew. Fluent in Hebrew and with a degree in archaeology, he dreams of freedom beyond the fence, and of writing a novel about Mary Magdalene based on the Gnostic Gospels. When he discovers an Israeli ID card in the pocket of a secondhand coat, he assumes a false identity and is hired for an archaeological dig near Megiddo. Passing as an Israeli, he moves through a world previously off-limits and gains insight into the lives of those he's been taught to perceive as enemies.

As Nur's borrowed identity deepens, so does the rift within. Through an exploration of this internal conflict, Bassem Khandaqji's Arabic Booker-winning novel offers a meditation on the personal toll of occupation and the elusive desire to belong-fully, honestly, and without fear.

"A Mask the Colour of the Sky is a haunting study of identity under occupation. Tracing the fragmentation of the self, Khandaqji reveals colonial power at its most insidious." Saleem Haddad, author of Guapa and Floodlines

"A Mask, the Colour of the Sky fuses the personal with the political in innovative ways." International Prize for Arabic Fiction

Book details and technical specifications

Format: Paperback / softback
ISBN13: 9781787706323
Published: June 2026

Number of pages: 192
Width: 135 mm
Height: 210 mm
Depth: not specified

Publisher: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd