{"product_id":"parramatta-a-dictionary-of-place-and-memory","title":"Parramatta: A Dictionary of Place and Memory","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eParramatta: A Dictionary of Place and Memory\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eis a unique meditation on living in Sydney’s ‘second city’ by\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Yumna Kassab, the inaugural Parramatta Laureate in Literature\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e. Kassab is a highly regarded author of six works of fiction, and has been shortlisted for several major literary awards.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn thinking about the dictionary, I ask what is the dictionary here. It is me and my memories. The dictionary is Parramatta itself as the place that is the backdrop to my memories.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the inaugural laureate, Yumna Kassab set herself the task of collecting her observations and thoughts on living in Parramatta, now one of the country’s most important economic, political and cultural centres. Employing the dictionary form, the work is at once, as she says, ‘memoir and reflection and vision and gathering and story and documentary’. The entries, from A to Z, cover a wide range of topics, from the uses of language and Kassab’s favourite authors and books, to the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Western Sydney Wanderers; from reflections on beauty, silence, colonisation and friendship to an appreciation of clouds and sunlight, parks and squares, and the city’s cafés, the places where she writes. The entries also offer points of departure, through memory and association, to other places – to Lebanon, Uruguay and especially to Palestine, whose fate casts a deep shadow over her daily experiences. It is a personal dictionary in other words, driven by feeling and admiration and a sense of responsibility, one which, in an unassuming manner, presents an intimate portrait of its compiler. As Kassab writes, ‘It was my idea that a dictionary could tell the story of a person (me) in connection with a place (Parramatta) with enough flexibility to take in detours, digressions, musings, and general quirkiness.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePraise for Yumna Kassab:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eContinuously surprising and probing…both personal and expansive; introspective and ambitious. - \u003ccite class=\"cite\"\u003eKylie Mirmohamadi\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStylish and searching writing, with an exquisite command of language holding fast through unstable experimentation with form. - \u003ccite class=\"cite\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eSydney Morning Herald\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKassab has written fireworks. - \u003ccite class=\"cite\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKassab’s prose is unsparing and frank yet unstinting. - \u003ccite class=\"cite\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eSydney Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYumna Kassab\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe House of Youssef, Australiana, The Lovers, Politica\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Theory of Everything\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Her latest novel is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGoodbye, My Love\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Her books have been listed for the Stella Prize, the Miles Franklin Literary Award, Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, Queensland Literary Awards, a Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and a NSW Premier’s Literary Award. Her writing has appeared in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSydney Review of Books, Griffith Review\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSydney Morning Herald\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. She was the inaugural Parramatta Laureate in Literature. Her new book, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eParramatta: A Dictionary of Place and Memory\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, is forthcoming with Giramondo in 2026.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYumna Kassab\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublished July 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePaperback\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e352 pages \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e210mm x 148mm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eISBN 9781923106741\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Giramondo","offers":[{"title":"Yumna Kassab","offer_id":59365422432337,"sku":"9781923106741","price":34.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0955\/6464\/files\/Cover_Parramatta-A-Dicionary-of-Place-and-Memory_Yumna-Kassab_HR.jpg?v=1776316711","url":"https:\/\/shop.mhnsw.au\/products\/parramatta-a-dictionary-of-place-and-memory","provider":"Museums of History NSW","version":"1.0","type":"link"}