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Gaza writers lose out as culture becomes afterthought

Difficult living conditions and lack of funding or royalties have discouraged Gaza's novelists.
A Palestinian man inspects the damage to a library inside al-Eslah mosque after local witnesses said it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza November 18, 2006.  REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA) - RTR1JGJZ
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GAZA CITY AND KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Novelist Hani al-Salmi, 36, dreams of the day when he can stop selling perfume in a shop in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip and devote himself to his novels. So far, he has written eight novels and published six of them.

A few days ago, Salmi, who makes less than 600 shekels a month (about $155) selling perfume, printed his sixth novel, “Haza al-Rasas Ahibbouhou,” or “Those Bullets, I Love.” Abdel Mohsin al-Qattan Foundation in Gaza, which specializes in educational and cultural services, published the novel and covered all costs. Salmi won the Qattan Foundation's prize for best novel in 2012.

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