“I tell you a joke to have you listen to me, and then maybe I will tell you another joke that we can laugh together and feel equal. And then I will tell you a story hopefully that will make you cry. So I think that's the way that I approach the columns, as a surviving tool in a way.”

Palestinian Israeli author and journalist

Sayed Kashua is a Palestinian citizen of Israel and an author and journalist born in Tira, Israel. He is known for his books and for his humorous columns in Hebrew and English. Kashua writes across fiction and journalism, and his work has been noted for moving between languages and audiences. His columns, in particular, are associated with wit and social observation, reflecting the bilingual setting in which he writes.