Publisher's Synopsis
In The Magic of Life, a story collection by Sherif Meleka, we encounter a striking interplay between the act of writing difference and writing differently. This collection embodies a rich tapestry of fantastical and metaphysical explorations, each narrative threading through an experimental fabric that expands the boundaries of short fiction. At its heart lies a literary current where fantasy, imagination, and reality coalesce into a singular artistic vision-one that probes the bewildering essence of life, its dazzling colors and anguished folds, and the echoes beyond its immediate surface.
In the titular story, The Magic of Life, we are ushered into the protagonist's curious stance toward the world of myth. Upon second reading, it becomes evident that the author has skillfully orchestrated a fusion between the real and the imagined. Through narrative sleight of hand, he gently lures the reader into believing that the heroine possesses a mythical consciousness, situating her within a realm that embraces the soul of legend and yields itself to its arc-ultimately fulfilling a magical solution that reflects the desires of her entire family.
In the hauntingly brilliant An Ancient Corpse Dying Anew, we encounter another manifestation of the author's technique: the use of narrative fragments as conduits for a stream of consciousness. At the outset, the sight of the mother and daughter seated beside the dying father's bed transports the protagonist into the vivid memory of the man's earlier death and funeral. Later, as tender feelings arise toward the daughter and he sits in turmoil, her hand on his silences the tremor within him. A deep hush falls, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock-its sound conjuring shared childhood memories, when the two would race to wind its spring. When the dying man gestures toward the music box with his index finger, it conjures a life philosophy: the best way to face hardship is to play music.
From this vertical fissuring through time, we move to a horizontal split in space in the story The Traveler. Here, the narrator's identity bifurcates across two spatial paths: one part of him is journeying by train to Alexandria, the other hurtling toward New York. This dual unfolding of self across parallel geographies creates a surreal, almost dreamlike narrative structure. The text offers many such displacements, yet they never jar the reader. Instead, the author envelops us with the kind of detail that dissolves resistance. We are so thoroughly immersed that the illusion feels seamless.
What distinguishes Sherif Meleka's approach is not only his formal experimentation but his insistence on imbuing each text with a philosophical resonance. His stories are layered with visionary thought that encourages the reader to plunge into the act of interpretation-grappling with the textures of reception, the flavor of language, and the multiplicity of meanings embedded in both the real and the imagined. With this collection, Melika doesn't merely write stories; he opens doorways into the mystery and magic of existence.
