Days that do not end at point zero... short stories

This collection of short stories includes two volumes of short stories published in Arabic by Stella Gaetano in 2004 and 2015, in the years leading up to and following South Sudan's independence from Sudan in 2011.Therefore, many stories deal with the painful separation between the two countries. Some stories, such as “Departure to Kosti” and “The Return,” deal with the deportation of South Sudanese from Sudan, while another, “Escape from Monthly Wages,” explores the dashed hopes of their newly won independence. Sometimes, as in "The Smell of Hard Work," in which Gaetano describes the reactions of a diverse group of bus passengers to the news of the death of South Sudanese rebel leader John Garang, Gaetano recalls a specific event. However, mostThe stories depict daily life in cities, as in "Mother, I'm Scared!", or in the countryside, as in "Damn." This creates a diverse mosaic of the reality of South Sudan. In essence, people who bear the burdens of life, but never lose their dignity.The stories are united by the writer’s tender look at her heroes, whom she immortalizes in strong and poetic images. This is clearly demonstrated in the award-winning stories “Papaya-Sized Breasts” and “Maps of Unknown Worlds,” in which two orphaned children argue, depend on each other, but ultimately bond with sisterly care.