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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'The Tribe is a collection of three novellas portraying significant aspects in the life of an extended Muslim Lebanese-Australian family with its roots in the suburb of Lakemba in Western Sydney.The first novella describes the family house, and the three generations who live, often in some discord, in its rooms; the second explores the marriage of the boy’s uncle, and the threatened appearance of an estranged branch of the family at the ceremony. The third rounds off the circle, describing the death of the family matriarch, the boy’s grandmother. Together they offer an intimate insight into a community negotiating the conflict between tradition and modernity, and the complex tribal affiliations of the extended family.' (Publisher's blurb)
Adaptations
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The Tribe
2016
single work
drama
'After seeing its acclaimed debut season at the 2015 Sydney Festival, we were keen to bring Urban Theatre Projects’ The Tribe from the streets of Sydney’s west into our own backyard in Surry Hills. Not figuratively either: it actually is a show for the intimacy of the humble back garden, and that’s where we’ll present it – in an assortment of Surry Hills backyards.
Performed by the inimitable Hazem Shammas (Mother Courage and Her Children, Scorched), this is a story of belonging, told by Bani as a small boy finding his way in a young country by recounting tales of an old country – and at the heart of it all, his love for his grandmother. She’s the core presence in Bani’s life, carrying all the truths of "The Tribe" – a small Muslim sect who fled to Australia from Lebanon. Hazem’s Bani is like a visionary child channelling a Bedouin storyteller – all amongst the Hills Hoists, paling fences, frangipani and jasmine of the Sydney yard. Don’t miss this very special event' (production summary).
Notes
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Dedication: For my family, who will never read this...
And for Jane, who read the first.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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5 Australian Books That Can Help Young People Understand Their Place in the World
2019
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 23 December 2019; This article has recommendations for five Australian 'texts that connect with diverse teenagers’ experiences and interests.' -
Australian Literature and the Arab-Australian Migrant Novel
2019
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 79 no. 1 2019; (p. 129-148) 'Patrick White’s The Aunt’s Story, published in 1948 and set in the 1930s, is one of the few Australian novels that features an Arab male character. His inclusion gives readers an insight into how an Arab was represented and, by extension, perceived in early- to mid-twentieth century Australia. The Arab in this case is a travelling salesman or a hawker, an occupation adopted by many early male and female migrants from what was then a region in Syria, today known as Lebanon. Hawkers traversed vast tracts of remote Australia peddling an array of wares, and their arrival to a country town or estate like Meroë in The Aunt’s Story, was met with excitement.' (Introduction) -
Worldly Reading : Teaching Australian Literature in the Twenty-first Century
2017
single work
criticism
— Appears in: English in Australia , vol. 52 no. 3 2017; (p. 21-30)'This paper examines the role of literature in the English classroom in Australia and its part in shaping national identity. We contend that it is important to consider the possible roles of national literatures in contemporary school contexts, where students are becoming local and global citizens and argue that reading Australian literature as a part of the field of ‘world literature’ can support a pedagogical approach which enables dynamic reading practices. Drawing on a 2016 research project titled Teaching Australia, which sought to explore English teachers’ engagement with Australian texts, this paper examines current and future uses of Australian literature in both the globalised world and in the Australian secondary English classroom.' (Publication abstract)
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Revision, Community and Performance : The Role of a Literary Network in the Development of Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s The Tribe and Luke Carman’s An Elegant Young Man
2016
single work
criticism
— Appears in: New Writing , vol. 13 no. 2 2016; (p. 297-307) 'This paper contributes to recent scholarship on writers’ networks by assessing how two contemporary Australian writers, Michael Mohammed Ahmad and Luke Carman, used discussion and performance of drafts to develop their first books. Their revisions enabled them to shape not just their fiction, but to formulate a narrative about western Sydney which they could communicate to a national audience. In the following, I describe an interview I conducted with them about their revision practices and their suggestions for each other’s manuscripts. In addition, I discuss the writing processes involved in the completion of The Tribe (2014) and An Elegant Young Man (2013), which emerged from a collaborative environment or ‘community of practice’, and won literary awards.' (Publication abstract) -
Radical, Young, Muslim : The Arab-Australian Novel in the 21st Century
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 21 August 2015;
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Australian Fiction
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 21-22 June 2014; (p. 21)
— Review of Foreign Soil 2014 selected work short story ; Captives 2014 selected work short story ; Meatloaf in Manhattan 2014 selected work short story ; The Tribe 2014 selected work novella -
Writing Arab-Australian Universes
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Overland [Online] , May 2014;
— Review of The Tribe 2014 selected work novella -
Q&A with Author of The Tribe : Michael Mohammed Ahmad
Alix Bromley
(interviewer),
2015
single work
interview
— Appears in: The Conversation , 22 January 2015;Interview with Michael Mohammed Ahmad about the forthcoming adaptation of his novel, The Tribe.
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Young Novelists Speak with Original Voices
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 23-24 May 2015; (p. 17) The Canberra Times , 23 May 2015; (p. 13) -
Radical, Young, Muslim : The Arab-Australian Novel in the 21st Century
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 21 August 2015; -
Revision, Community and Performance : The Role of a Literary Network in the Development of Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s The Tribe and Luke Carman’s An Elegant Young Man
2016
single work
criticism
— Appears in: New Writing , vol. 13 no. 2 2016; (p. 297-307) 'This paper contributes to recent scholarship on writers’ networks by assessing how two contemporary Australian writers, Michael Mohammed Ahmad and Luke Carman, used discussion and performance of drafts to develop their first books. Their revisions enabled them to shape not just their fiction, but to formulate a narrative about western Sydney which they could communicate to a national audience. In the following, I describe an interview I conducted with them about their revision practices and their suggestions for each other’s manuscripts. In addition, I discuss the writing processes involved in the completion of The Tribe (2014) and An Elegant Young Man (2013), which emerged from a collaborative environment or ‘community of practice’, and won literary awards.' (Publication abstract) -
Worldly Reading : Teaching Australian Literature in the Twenty-first Century
2017
single work
criticism
— Appears in: English in Australia , vol. 52 no. 3 2017; (p. 21-30)'This paper examines the role of literature in the English classroom in Australia and its part in shaping national identity. We contend that it is important to consider the possible roles of national literatures in contemporary school contexts, where students are becoming local and global citizens and argue that reading Australian literature as a part of the field of ‘world literature’ can support a pedagogical approach which enables dynamic reading practices. Drawing on a 2016 research project titled Teaching Australia, which sought to explore English teachers’ engagement with Australian texts, this paper examines current and future uses of Australian literature in both the globalised world and in the Australian secondary English classroom.' (Publication abstract)
Awards
- 2015 shortlisted Voss Literary Prize
- 2015 joint winner The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist of the Year
- 2015 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Glenda Adams Award for New Writing
- 2014 shortlisted Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction