Songs for the Dead and the Living

Judges' comments

Sara M Saleh’s skills as a poet shine in her debut novel, Songs for the Dead and the Living. In vivid language, Saleh tells a compelling and beautifully written story about a Palestinian family’s escape from Lebanon to Cairo, and eventually — over the generations — to Australia.

As Saleh writes in her Author’s Note, ‘Every Palestinian has a Nakba story. Most have carried their story many generations into displacement, wherever they may be.’ Taking inspiration from her mother’s family’s dispossession, the author brings 1970s Lebanon and 1980s Egypt to life, with all their joys and sorrows. The writing stays with you, one lyrical sentence after another, building a complete and sensory world. The memorable characters brim with life and personality. With great empathy, Saleh presents each member of the Husseini family facing the difficult challenge of preserving themselves, their family, and their Palestinian identity, in the face of violence and uncertainty about their fates.