Zakaria Tamer's 'Breaking Knees' Explores Syrian Society Through Very Short Stories

Zakaria Tamer's collection 'Breaking Knees' presents sixty-three very short stories that scrutinize Syrian culture, first published in Arabic in 2002. Tamer has favored the al-qissa al-qasira jiddan form since 1960, using it to refract themes through diverse characters. The stories work best as a whole, offering a microcosm of Syrian society treated with elegant cynicism. Political dissent emerges, notably in Story 54, which targets Hafez al-Assad's regime with a statue metaphor. Women's defiance threads through the collection, featuring subversive acts and reclamation of sexuality that mock male-dominated traditions. Tamer was fired in 1980 as editor of al-Ma'rifa for publishing pro-freedom content. The collection is described as compelling, hideous, and hysterical, leaving no doubt about its critical targets. From the Winter 2016 issue of ArtReview Asia, the stories predate the Arab Spring by almost a decade.