Up, and Up, and Up

Time

The calm before the storm.

The moment before the war,

when each day feels endless and very, very fragile.

Summer.

Two men escape the summer heat to hide away in a mountain house above Beirut, Lebanon. As Anse and Soufiane slowly explore their unfolding romantic relationship, the ever-present threat of war looms, and the question of how to face the future drives a rift between them. Anse discovers that Soufiane might be involved in dangerous organizing, and they debate the utility of resistance.

A weekend told achronologically, “Up, and Up, and Up” explores love, resistance, and the question of how to face an uncertain, but certainly violent future.

“Up, and Up, and Up” is nominated for the Author Prize of the Heidelberger Stückemarkt 2026. It will be read in its German translation, Hoch und Immer Höher.

Translation by Jara Nassar.