A Rift in Time: Travels with My Ottoman Uncle
Palestine

A Rift in Time: Travels with My Ottoman Uncle

by Raja Shehadeh

Identity & Belonging Non-Fiction Memoir 2010

Summary

In A Rift in Time: Travels with My Ottoman Uncle, Palestinian writer and human rights lawyer Raja Shehadeh explores the connections between family history, national identity, and the changing political landscape of the Middle East. Inspired by the life of his great-uncle Najib Nassar, a Palestinian journalist who lived during the final decades of the Ottoman Empire, Shehadeh traces the journey of a man who witnessed the collapse of an empire and the emergence of a new political order. Moving between historical research, personal reflection, and travel writing, the author examines how the experiences of earlier generations continue to shape contemporary Palestinian life. Through his uncle’s story, Shehadeh reflects on the meaning of belonging, the fragility of historical memory, and the ways political borders transform people’s relationships with their homeland. The book offers an intimate exploration of the past, revealing how an individual’s life can illuminate the wider forces that shape a nation’s history and collective identity.

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Country
Palestine
Asia
About the author
Raja Shehadeh
Raja Shehadeh

Raja Shehadeh is a Palestinian lawyer, writer, and human rights activist born in Ramallah in 1951. He is the founder of Al-Haq, one of the first human rights organizations established in the Arab world, and has spent decades documenting the legal and social consequences of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Shehadeh is best known for his reflective nonfiction, which combines personal memoir, landscape writing, and political observation to explore Palestinian identity, displacement, and the relationship between people and their land. His acclaimed book Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape (2007) recounts his walks through the hills surrounding Ramallah, examining how settlement expansion and political change have transformed the Palestinian landscape. The book won the Orwell Prize in 2008. Other notable works include Strangers in the House (2002), a family memoir, and Going Home (2019). Through precise, contemplative prose, Shehadeh explores the meaning of home, the erosion of cultural landscapes, and the persistence of everyday life under occupation.

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Published
2010
Author
Raja Shehadeh