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Matthew Teller

@matthewteller123

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Author, journalist • New book FINDING ALADDIN, out Nov 2026 • Daybreak in Gaza • Nine Quarters of Jerusalem • Quite Alone • He/him
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In these perilous, painful times, my new book FINDING ALADDIN tries to restore humanity. It celebrates a Syrian storyteller whose name was almost lost to history. When the 1,001 Nights was translated into European languages in the 1700s, the tales caused a sensation. Most were ancient, drawn from Arab and Persian folklore. But the most famous tale of all, Aladdin, was new - told for the first time in 1709 by an Aleppan adventurer in Paris named Hanna Diab. Centuries later, a manuscript discovered by chance in the Vatican shows how Hanna created Aladdin from the facts of his own, extraordinary life, only to be betrayed by those he trusted - and then erased from his own story. FINDING ALADDIN has kings, princesses, magicians, genies, flying carpets, pirates, shipwrecks, strange creatures, at least forty thieves, women dressed as men, men dressed as women... It’s out this November, published by Profile in the UK and Biblioasis in North America: More details soon! Pre-order it wherever you buy your books. Link in bio by @matthewteller123
Amid all of today's fuckery, I have written about an intense, brilliantly creative young storyteller from Syria who lived 300 years ago. Everyone knows the characters he created, but nobody knew the man himself. Until now. FINDING ALADDIN is out. Buy a signed copy at: linktr.ee/matthewteller Link in bio by @matthewteller123
A short story, published by @arablitorg by @matthewteller123
Some news by @matthewteller123
Britain's Royal Society for Asian Affairs offers a £2000 travel award for writers or researchers in the UK aged 21-28 interested in contemporary Asia (including the Middle East). See their website for details: rsaa.org.uk by @matthewteller123
@matthewteller123 , Co-Herausgeber des Bandes “Daybreak in Gaza”, auf der @buchmesse zur Frage, wie seine Eindrücke auf der Lesetour durch Deutschland waren: „Ich identifiziere mich als jüdisch und antizionistisch. Unsere Lesereise durch Deutschland war sehr herausfordernd. Ich maße mir nicht an, den gesellschaftlichen oder politischen Kontext hier zu verstehen. Aber ich habe den Eindruck, dass viele Menschen im Publikum, denen wir hier begegnet sind, Antizionismus immer noch mit Antisemitismus gleichsetzen. Ich finde es deshalb sehr, sehr wichtig, deutlich zu machen: Antizionismus ist nicht dasselbe wie Antisemitismus. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass dieses Projekt und dieses Buch nichts mit Antisemitismus zu tun haben. Es geht um die Menschen in Gaza. Es ist wichtig, ihren Stimmen Gehör zu verschaffen und ihnen zuzuhören. Ob ich jüdisch bin oder nicht, ob ich Zionist bin oder nicht – das ist dabei völlig irrelevant.“ #Buchmesse #Lesetour #Antisemitismus #Antizionismus #Gaza #Palästina #DaybreakInGaza #Geschichten #MahmoudMuna #Voices #RaiseYourVoices #Dietz #DietzVerlag #DietzVerlagBonn @koeln.bethlehem @amnesty.berlinbrandenburg @filmhauskoeln @bonn_ramallah @pax_christi_germany by @matthewteller123
🇪🇺🇱🇺🇵🇸 The CPJPO 🕊️ was pleased to welcome Mahmoud Muna and Matthew Teller to Luxembourg, two of the editors of Daybreak in Gaza: A Place and Its People, a precious collection of testimonies and Palestinian voices from Gaza since the beginning of the genocide in October 2023. 🇵🇸 In the flood of information about Gaza, we hear international observers, journalists and UN rapporteurs denouncing war crimes and genocide, as well as Israeli propaganda denying them. But what about the people directly concerned? Those who live, love, create, suffer, resist and struggle to survive in Gaza? 📚📣 This book gives them a voice. Its raw, unedited testimonies share personal stories and fragments of life that refuse to reduce an entire population to numbers or “collateral damage”. Beyond the destruction, Daybreak in Gaza celebrates Gaza’s historical and cultural richness: a land shaped by millennia of exchanges, knowledge and traditions. Through the stories of artists, cooks, shopkeepers, doctors and many others, it portrays a vibrant society and a heritage that colonisation and destruction threaten to erase. 🕊️ Preserving these voices means preserving a people, their history, culture and humanity — and keeping hope alive for Gaza’s future. During their visit, Mahmoud Muna, a bookseller, writer and publisher in Jerusalem, and Matthew Teller, a British author and journalist specialising in Palestine and the Middle East, presented the book to the Luxembourg public. 🇱🇺🇪🇺 We also met public officials to call for a tougher diplomatic stance and sanctions against the Israeli state. We stressed the importance of building bridges with Palestinian society. Through literature, cinema, photography, architecture, painting, music and other forms of cultural expression, we must keep these connections alive, amplify Palestinian voices and defend a culture that colonisation seeks to erase. by @matthewteller123
If there is one perfect way to describe Daybreak in Gaza, it is what Mahmoud Muna said: “Think of it as the Yellow Pages of Gaza.” And he meant it quite literally: Read the stories, find the people behind them and get in touch. The book is not just an anthology, but an invitation to connect with the people of Gaza. Every person who contributed to this book is real, and every contributor is named. Tragically, some are no longer alive. They were killed in Israeli air strikes or died in other circumstances. When the audience heard the story of the mirror, the room fell silent. A little boy walks through the streets of Gaza carrying a fragment of a mirror, offering people the chance to see their own faces for the first time in days or even weeks. They pay him one shekel (around 25 cents). Faces that have gone to sleep hungry. Faces that have not had a proper night’s sleep in a long time. Faces covered in dirt, with unkempt hair. Around 80 people joined us on Monday to hear about the background of the book and how it came to life. They asked questions, engaged in conversation and had the opportunity to have their copies signed by both editors. Mahmoud Muna is a Palestinian writer, publisher and @booksellerofjerusalem, where he runs the renowned Educational Bookshop. @matthewteller123 is a British writer and broadcaster who has reported extensively on the Middle East for the BBC, the Guardian and other international media. The two editors are currently on a reading tour, which also includes presenting their book at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Daybreak in Gaza – Stories of Palestinian Lives and Culture was first published in October 2024 and is now available in German at @dietzverlagbonn. All profits from the book are donated to Medical Aid for Palestinians. A huge thank you to Mahmoud Muna and Matthew Teller for sharing these stories with us, to the @boellstiftung for supporting the event, to @jockeleventhall for hosting us, and to @standing.together.germany for being our long-standing partner. We are also deeply grateful to everyone who joined us for this special evening. Read their stories. Learn their names. Reach out to them. by @matthewteller123
Meeting @booksellerofjerusalem and @matthewteller123 by @matthewteller123
Gegen das Vergessen: Geschichten über Leben und Kultur Palästinas Freitag, 9. Oktober 2026 um 19.00 Uhr im DGB Gewerkschaftshaus Stuttgart, Willi-Bleicher-Str. 20, Bambus-Salon Gespräch und Lesung mit: - Matthew Teller, Autor und Rundfunksprecher, Großbritannien - Mahmoud Muna, Schriftsteller und Buchhändler aus Ostjerusalem Beide Autoren sind auf ihrem Weg zur Frankfurter Buchmesse, um ihr Buch "Daybreak in Gaza" vorzustellen. #gegendasvergessen #daybreakingaza #Palästina #lesung #stuttgart #PaxChristi https://www.rottenburg-stuttgart.paxchristi.de/termine/view/5270822941884416/Gegen%20das%20Vergessen:%20Geschichten%20%C3%BCber%20Leben%20und%20Kultur%20Pal%C3%A4stinas by @matthewteller123
Gaza was once full of life, creativity, culture, and stories. Today, much of that world has been destroyed, but its people continue to hold on to what remains through their writing, music, memories, and stories. Daybreak in Gaza takes us into the lives of artists, doctors, students, shopkeepers, teachers, and families across generations. Their stories speak of love, loss, ordinary days, and the strength it takes to keep going, offering a glimpse into the rich cultural life of Gaza. At its heart, this book is about people, not numbers. It remembers the lives, dreams, and culture behind the headlines, and keeps a record of a Gaza that deserves to be remembered. by @matthewteller123
📚 DAYBREAK IN GAZA reading In cooperation with Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and Friends of Standing Together, we organise a reading on Monday, 5 October 2026 at 7 pm (doors open 6:30 pm). Two of the four editors, Mahmoud Muna and Matthew Teller, will read from the book „Daybreak in Gaza“ at Biergarten Jockel (Ratiborstr. 14c in Berlin-Kreuzberg). 💡They will shed light on the life in Gaza before and through the Genocide. We will look behind the statistics and headlines and look at the humanity of Gaza. The reading is in English and for free. 🎟 Please click yourself a ticket via eveeno. LINK IN BIO Come and join. Bring your friends and questions. by @matthewteller123

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