These Bodies of Water: A Personal History of the British Empire in the Middle East (Paperback) - Sabrina Mahfouz

A powerful meditation on the influence of the British Empire in the Middle East, intertwining history, politics, poetry, myth and personal experience from poet and playwright Sabrina Mahfouz

'Impossible to put down while you're reading, and impossible to forget about when you've finished' Glamour

After a gruelling job interview where she was interrogated about everything from her political leanings to her family background, Sabrina Mahfouz realised that one unspoken question had pervaded her entire life: as a woman of Middle Eastern heritage, could she really be trusted?

Years later, Sabrina found herself confronting this question and how it was specifically informed by the British Empire's historical dominance in the Middle East. Taking us on a journey of the Middle-Eastern coastlines and waterways that were so vital to the Empire's hold, and combining memoir, history, politics, myth and poetry, These Bodies of Water is a tapestry of writing that tells the unacknowledged story of Britain's relationship with the Middle East in the most revealing terms.

'A writer of staggering conviction, ingenuity and integrity' Kae Tempest

'Brilliant and profound' Nikesh Shukla

'A bold, brave look at the ways imperialism affects us all' Riz Ahmed

About the Author

Sabrina Mahfouz is a writer and performer, raised in London and Cairo and working across multiple art forms, including film, TV, opera, dance and music. She is a Royal Society of Literature Fellow and a resident writer at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Her previous theatre work includes A History of Water in the Middle East, Chef and Dry Ice. Sabrina has edited the anthologies Smashing It: Working Class Artists on Life, Art & Making It Happen, Poems From a Green and Blue Planet and The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write and she is an essay contributor to the multi-award-winning The Good Immigrant.