Tariq Ali Wins Spanish Literary Prize
On the second day of the new year, Tariq Ali was awarded the Granadillo 2010 (in Granada, of course) for his series of novels called The Islam Quintet. It is […]
January 2010
Europe a Wonderland for Arab Lit?
Youssef Bazzi has an enthusiastic essay in Banipal 36: “Europe, our guide to reading our Arabic literature.” Yes, with a double “our.” Let us grant, for a moment, that his […]
Censorship ‘Relaxed’ at Doha Book Fair
If nothing else, it creates a nice mental picture: censorship, stretched out on the beach, taking it easy. Ahhh. Says Qatar’s arts and culture secretary general: “We do not censor […]
Neglected Treasures: Tawfiq al-Hakim’s /The People of the Cave/
I understand and appreciate (and share, really) the American obsession with the new. What books came out in 2009? What will be released in 2010? Who’s the next Sonallah Ibrahim/Naguib […]