“I try hard to still be able to focus on writing. Writing is my life and had been everything I used to think about. These days, I am concerned with fights for things like water, gas and medication. I’ve never thought of leaving Lebanon. Now it’s the first time that I consider it, giving up everything. I have neither the mental, emotional nor physical strength to live here any longer.” In a sober interview with the @faz, the award-winning, bold and charming Lebanese writer Alawiya Sobh (born in 1955 in Beirut) speaks about her life as a female writer in the Middle East, her life-long deep connection to a once bustling Hamra, and how the current crisis has impacted everything she cherishes and needs - her writing practice, the ability to afford basic necessities, and finally her will to stay in Lebanon. Thanks to Fara Zetzsche @fara_zetz✨ #alawiyasobh #lebanon #beirut #hamra #literature #arts #femalewriter #civilwar #womenphotographers #photojournalism #portraiture #libanon