Overview of the Short Story Collection “The Sad Orange Land”
The book “The Sad Orange Land” is recognized as one of the most notable short story collections by writer and novelist Ghassan Kanafani. First released in 1962, this collection gained considerable fame from the time of its publication and continues to resonate today. Through this work, Kanafani vividly depicts the struggles of the Palestinian people, illustrating their hardships and the profound impact these experiences have had on Palestinian identity during that era.
Inside this collection, readers will find a variety of engaging stories, outlined as follows:
Story: Beyond the Borders
The narrative centers around a young man who is on the run from security forces after he was imprisoned for throwing a full container of milk at an employee, exclaiming, “I do not wish to sell my homeland.” His mother was martyred in the city of Safad, and he has a sister who married and moved abroad. His father resides in a different country and is unable to meet with any of his children, while he has an estranged brother whose whereabouts are unknown. Despite all these adversities, the young man firmly refuses to take any action that could harm his homeland.
Story: The Horizon Beyond the Gate
In this tale, Kanafani explores the suffering endured by the Palestinian people following the Nakba of 1948 and the difficulties faced by the characters in navigating between cities. The story follows a young man who travels to Akka to meet the girl destined to be his future wife. However, circumstances prevent his return to his town, resulting in the tragic death of his mother and sister, leaving him with only his aunt to share in his grief.
Story: Three Leaves from Palestine
This section of the collection comprises several parts, including: a leaf from Gaza, a leaf from Ramle, and a leaf from Tira, detailed as follows:
Leaf from Gaza
The story depicts the journey of two friends from Gaza who decided to emigrate to Kuwait for work, intending to earn money to continue their studies in California, thus achieving wealth. A year later, Mustafa traveled to California while his friend returned to Gaza for vacation. Ultimately, the friend chose to stay in Gaza after witnessing how his sister’s daughter sacrificed herself to save her siblings, resulting in her losing both legs.
Story: The Green and the Red
This story is divided into three chapters as follows:
The Struggle
The first chapter introduces a character returning home to his wife and son after a long absence, devoid of specific details like his name, time, or place. The author focuses solely on describing the stream of blood that flowed from this individual’s body.
The Stream of Blood
In the second chapter, the narrative shifts to a crowd gathered around the body of the unidentified man, waiting for an ambulance in hopes of saving him. An extraordinary event occurs when a small child is born from this man’s forehead, possessing the features of a real man yet in a diminutive, harmonious form. When everyone leaves, the child finds himself lost but keeps walking day by day, accompanied by the stream of blood.
Death for the Unknown
The author continues to narrate the tale of the small, unidentified creature, described as “the black creature” due to its color. It lives beneath the earth, pursued by the stream of blood. After fourteen years, the creature remains nameless and shrouded in darkness until it eventually dies at the story’s conclusion.
Story: Nothing
The final narrative in this collection revolves around a news broadcast about a soldier injured at the borders who was transferred to a psychiatric hospital. The responsible doctor informs the soldier that he experienced a nervous breakdown, a claim he refuses to accept, insisting that what he has gone through is merely a military condition that does not warrant his presence in the hospital.