Two young Palestinian men find love in a mythical Jerusalem, oppressed by occupation and a biblical sandstorm

As a sandstorm of biblical proportions covers the land, two men cross paths in the labyrinthine old city of Jerusalem, where for centuries lovers have seduced each other by night with tales of jinns, warriors and wild beasts. Gabriel and Isaac fall in love, lose each other and find each other again. Then, despite the sand-filled wind and the yoke of occupation, they decide to go on holiday, on a road trip through the West Bank, a dangerous act of daring in a divided land.

After The Palace on the Higher Hill, Karim Kattan returns to the Palestine of his imagination, mixing orality with classical culture, the marvellous with the tragically real. Lyrical, languorous and shattering Eden at Dawn is a cry for love in the midst of war that confirms the strength of the author's literary universe. Widely acclaimed in France, Eden at Dawn has won several literary awards and was shortlisted for the Prix Renaudot in 2024.



Karim Kattan is a Palestinian writer from Bethlehem, born in Jerusalem. He holds a doctorate in comparative literature and writes fiction, essays, and poetry in both English and French. His debut novel, Palace On the Higher Hill (2021), won the Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie that same year. His second novel, Eden at Dawn, received several awards, including the 2024 Prix littéraire du 2e roman de Laval, and was shortlisted for others, including the 2024 Prix Renaudot.



One of the most beautiful books of 2025