Sara Aljak Stories - Traveling With Words| Sudanow Magazine

KHARTOUM (Sudanow) - Sara Hamza Al-Jack is one of the prominent Sudanese contemporary novel and short story writers. She was born in Khartoum in February 1980 and studied architecture in Khartoum’s College of Applied Studies.

Her published works include Salwat Khulasia "Secret Prayers", short story collection (2007), Kumba, short story collection (2015), Propaganda, short story collection (2017), Khiantaiz "Once Upon a Betrayal", a novel (2013) for which she won the Tayeb Salih Prize for Creative Writing, Alsous, a novel (2018) and Aluhjia, a novel (2021).

She also won First award in the Forum of Narrative and Criticism (2009), Second award, Altayeb Salih Award for Young Writers in short stories (2009), Second Award, Mahmoud Salih Award for Theatrical Writing(2016).

Al-Jack published many of her short stories in the local newspapers and electronic sites. She has recently founded her own publishing house; Dar Al-Faal.

Sudanow reporter Risala Abdelrahim, who herself is a short story writer, wrote the following about Al-Jack:

Sara Hamza Aljak is a great creative writer, active powerful and confident. when I saw her for the first time in Abdallah Alteyb Seminar - University of Khartoum. I couldn't but admire her confidence and creativity. I immediately told myself: "one day I will become like her ". But then fate set an appointment with her without previous planning. I met her again in The French Institute to become her trainee in feminist creative writing workshop in March .
She never let me down and her character filled my eyes and heart especially after reading her novels and short stories.

She has a unique writing style, poetic language and creative imagination. When you read her writings you travel with her words and live in her text. Try it yourself and you'll believe me:

The White Colour Refraction

Story by SARA HAMZA ALJACK

I’m created from a couple of circles which have united together and become (my own self0) I swim within a third, it’s the whole of my universe, it connects me to a series of small circles which provide me with food from the circle’s center which is made from me, as I also breath while I’m being circulated. Circle is the source of everything

He was in his circle, I was swimming in bright heaven worlds where there is no shadow no unlimited extends for love, pre eternity, death the gate for Eternity there I got a acquainted to some friends, I have been divided into two halves, I said goodbye to my other half, and ceased to the margin’s line of the circle.

I will spend some minutes there, I wish if my other half could follow me there, so we can meet and spend those minutes together, but unfortunately we won’t ever meet unless we keep a huge amount of the endurance, in a high rate of brightness.

Our separation, my ceasing to the margin’s line my attempt following him, all of those are actions which are highly needed to activate the endurance, exchanging love, just for him
Created
Creator
The universe.
And we have been changed into creatures
I got at the line where I should have been hosted, decreased
Prepared myself to it, as I am still swimming in my own Orbit, now I can welcome it, because I have specified a place for it there, deep in a section of the circle where it kept in as it also lived peacefully in the place specified for it then it became a heart that pumps the blood when I order, the blood passes through a dark spot inside it, it has appeared there within my existence.

I was transparent and Illuminating until I have broken the lows, then I have been fired out from the heavens of love and I won’t get back there and I will do my best to keep whoever comes from there in order not to get back, you, will never return there the ,you, who comes from the clear and transparent worlds, and we will ever remain here.

We are staying here in me, as I am swimming in my global circle we started to hear what’s happening around us it seems as if there are other globes outside.

Is it their Altitude that they keep speaking about or what? It is still early enough to pass towards our Altitude
Do you know what’s happening outside there?
No never I know nothing, but we don’t have to jump over events
It’s high time for us to get out from our global circle that has fired us away, even when it was throwing us it had thrown us in a part of that circle at the edge of exit curve, we have been surprised by the semi-person and the black spot inside me have beaten furiously.

Mum is still breast feeding me from her milky breast light is introducing me to things sound is telling me about things , I smell them and recognize the world through them , photos have followed each other my hands are usually telling me about them as the events and smells do
Light is getting more transparent and she is still near me feeding me her kindness, preferring me to herself, the black spot inside me is growing slowly
Sitting on the land I keep playing , I have grown up , I have stepped forward and as I’m trying to figure things around me out . I play with the mud , play with some invisible children my mum was talking to one of our neighbors they were chatting together , when suddenly my neighbor’s child tried to hold on to my mother the black spot on me started to beat again

It goes deep on me as if it’s my blood, it inspires me to hit him , but then the light inside my soul told me to stop my decision, the black spot have gone here and there , it ordered the upper movement’s center that has automatically raised my hand up and hit him , then I recognized that the light is no longer transparent

My mum and the world around me are giving the Instinct to save the light in its high rate they are connecting me to the source of the upper energy, training me to resist that black spot inside me and I have to Amputate its vein from my blood system although the light in its highest rate will never return transparent.

Translated by: Hamid Bakheet

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