HISTORICAL REENVISIONING OF PALESTINIAN NARRATIVE IN BARAKAT’S BALCONY ON THE MOON

Abstract

This article analyses Ibtisam Barakat’s reconstruction of Palestinian narrative in Balcony on the Moon while deconstructing the institutionalized versions of the historical events which have been occurred during her own time. This study focuses on the way how Palestinians have suffered and are suffering in turbulent political turmoil. Her attempt is to give voice to the silenced history of Palestine which is suppressed for a long time. She makes her contribution in literary field through her life narrative and uses her experiences as the base for her novel in contesting the Israeli narrative and reconstituting the Palestinian narrative in order to awake the world about their sufferings. This study also examines how she revisits the pages of history where the Palestinians have rich civilization because of the contribution of Arab philosophers in every field. Her desire to become a writer connects her with the glorious Arab literary traditions. In order to study how she deals the prevalent circumstances for restoring the native voice and the role of education for Palestinians’ better future, this study has premised on the theoretical framework of Linda Hutcheon’s Historiographic Metafiction. Hutcheon helps to examine Barakat’s life narrative in order to disseminate the discursive practices of Israeli discourse and to reinvigorate the Palestinian discourse.