Between two worlds: Writer Claire Hajaj
Claire Hajaj grew up as the daughter of a Palestinian father and a Jewish mother. She has lived in rural England and in the Middle East. She has worked for the United Nations in conflict zones all over the world, from Bosnia to Baghdad, most recently as a consultant on Syrian refugees in Lebanon. A former journalist for the BBC World Service, Hajaj recently published the novel Ishmael’s Oranges, which follows her parents’ own story.
Your novel Ishmael’s Oranges stays very close to the facts of your parents’ upbringings and marriage. Why did you decide to write a novel and not a memoir?
When you are writing about people who are still living and whom you love and whose views are very opposing, it is hard to be brave enough to write a memoir.
