In 1972, Khoury joined and became a member of the editorial board of the journal Mawaqif.
From 1975 to 1979, Khoury was editor of Shu'un Filastinia (Palestinian Affairs Magazine), collaborating with Mahmoud Darwish.
Between 1980 and 1985, Khoury worked as an editor of the series Thakirat Al-Shu'ub published by the Arab Research Foundation in Beirut.
From 1981 to 1982, he was editorial director of Al-Karmel Magazine.
From 1983 to 1990, he was the editorial director of the cultural section of Al-Safir.
Khoury also worked as the technical director of Beirut Theater from 1992 to 1998, and a co-director in September Festival for contemporary arts.

Khoury published his first novel in 1975, An 'ilaqat al-da'ira.
It was followed in 1977 by The Little Mountain, set during the Lebanese civil war, a conflict which Khoury initially thought would be a catalyst for progressive change.
Other works include The Journey of Little Gandhi, about a rural immigrant to Beirut who lives through the events of the civil war, and Gate of the Sun (2000).

Gate of the Sun is an epic re-telling of the life of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon since the 1948 Palestinian exodus, which also addresses the ideas of memory, truth, and storytelling.
The book was adapted as a film of the same name by Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah (2002).


In an interview by the Israeli mainstream daily Yediot Aharonot, after the publication of the Hebrew translation of Gate of the Sun, Khoury remarked:
"When I was working on this book, I discovered that the "other" is the mirror of the I. And given that I am writing about half a century of Palestinian experience, it is impossible to read this experience otherwise than in the mirror of the Israeli "other."
Therefore, when I was writing this novel, I put a lot of effort into trying to take apart not only the Palestinian stereotype but also the Israeli stereotype as it appears in Arab literature and especially in the Palestinian literature of Ghassan Kanafani, for example, or even of Emil Habibi.
The Israeli is not only the policeman or the occupier, he is the "other," who also has a human experience, and we need to read this experience.
Our reading of their experience is a mirror to our reading of the Palestinian experience."
 
Khoury's novel, Yalo (2002, and translated into English in 2008 for US publication by American Peter Theroux), depicted a former militiaman accused of crimes during Lebanon's civil war.
He described the use of torture in the Lebanese judicial system.
The title refers to the name of a Palestinian Arab village that was destroyed and in territory annexed by Israel during the 1967 war.
All the inhabitants were expelled and most went to Jordan.

Khoury is known for being a prolific writer, but his novels are not so lengthy, supposedly 110-220 pages.
Only Gate of the Sun was an exception, its number of pages was less than the others.


Khoury's novels are notable for their complex approach to political themes and fundamental questions of human behavior.
His narrative technique often involves an interior monologue, at times approaching a stream of consciousness.
In recent works he has tended to use a considerable element of colloquial Arabic, although the language of his novels remains primarily Modern Standard Arabic, also called Fusha.
This use of dialect forms adds to the credibility and immediacy of the narrative voice.
While use of dialect in dialogue is relatively common in modern Arabic literature (for example, in the work of Yusuf Idris), Khoury also uses it in the main narrative.
This is unusual in contemporary literature and has become part of the narrative technique of his works, and he says in this regard:
"As long as the official, written language is not opened to the spoken language it is a total repression because it means that the spoken, social experience is marginalised."

Khoury's works have been translated and published internationally in Catalan, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish.
In 1972, Khoury joined and became a member of the editorial board of the journal Mawaqif. From 1975 to 1979, Khoury was editor of Shu'un Filastinia (Palestinian Affairs Magazine), collaborating with Mahmoud Darwish. Between 1980 and 1985, Khoury worked as an editor of the series Thakirat Al-Shu'ub published by the Arab Research Foundation in Beirut. From 1981 to 1982, he was editorial director of Al-Karmel Magazine. From 1983 to 1990, he was the editorial director of the cultural section of Al-Safir. Khoury also worked as the technical director of Beirut Theater from 1992 to 1998, and a co-director in September Festival for contemporary arts.
Khoury published his first novel in 1975, An 'ilaqat al-da'ira. It was followed in 1977 by The Little Mountain, set during the Lebanese civil war, a conflict which Khoury initially thought would be a catalyst for progressive change. Other works include The Journey of Little Gandhi, about a rural immigrant to Beirut who lives through the events of the civil war, and Gate of the Sun (2000).
Gate of the Sun is an epic re-telling of the life of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon since the 1948 Palestinian exodus, which also addresses the ideas of memory, truth, and storytelling. The book was adapted as a film of the same name by Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah (2002).

In an interview by the Israeli mainstream daily Yediot Aharonot, after the publication of the Hebrew translation of Gate of the Sun, Khoury remarked:
"When I was working on this book, I discovered that the "other" is the mirror of the I. And given that I am writing about half a century of Palestinian experience, it is impossible to read this experience otherwise than in the mirror of the Israeli "other." Therefore, when I was writing this novel, I put a lot of effort into trying to take apart not only the Palestinian stereotype but also the Israeli stereotype as it appears in Arab literature and especially in the Palestinian literature of Ghassan Kanafani, for example, or even of Emil Habibi. The Israeli is not only the policeman or the occupier, he is the "other," who also has a human experience, and we need to read this experience. Our reading of their experience is a mirror to our reading of the Palestinian experience."  
Khoury's novel, Yalo (2002, and translated into English in 2008 for US publication by American Peter Theroux), depicted a former militiaman accused of crimes during Lebanon's civil war. He described the use of torture in the Lebanese judicial system. The title refers to the name of a Palestinian Arab village that was destroyed and in territory annexed by Israel during the 1967 war. All the inhabitants were expelled and most went to Jordan.
Khoury is known for being a prolific writer, but his novels are not so lengthy, supposedly 110-220 pages. Only Gate of the Sun was an exception, its number of pages was less than the others.

Khoury's novels are notable for their complex approach to political themes and fundamental questions of human behavior. His narrative technique often involves an interior monologue, at times approaching a stream of consciousness. In recent works he has tended to use a considerable element of colloquial Arabic, although the language of his novels remains primarily Modern Standard Arabic, also called Fusha.This use of dialect forms adds to the credibility and immediacy of the narrative voice. While use of dialect in dialogue is relatively common in modern Arabic literature (for example, in the work of Yusuf Idris), Khoury also uses it in the main narrative. This is unusual in contemporary literature and has become part of the narrative technique of his works, and he says in this regard:
"As long as the official, written language is not opened to the spoken language it is a total repression because it means that the spoken, social experience is marginalised."
Khoury's works have been translated and published internationally in Catalan, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish.
Elias Khoury