In Jordan, Poem Leads to Arrest
Hatim al-Shuli, a university student and sometimes-poet, has been arrested for a poem criticizing King Abdullah with al-Shuli’s name on it, according to Human Rights Watch. Al-Shuli denies having written […]
September 2010
Fuad Rifka on the Difficulties of Translating German Poetry into Arabic
Qantara this week has an interview with an exceptionally humble-sounding Fuad Rifka, the Syrian/Lebanese poet and German-Arabic translator who recently won the Goethe Medal for his translations.
New in Translation: Radwa Ashour’s /Specters/, Excerpt from /Yusuf’s Picture/ by Najem Wali
This morning, the computers at Amazon.Com kindly alerted me (as someone who raved about Sonallah Ibrahim’s Stealth) that Egyptian author Radwa Ashour has a new book out in English this […]
Fady Joudah Wins 2010 PEN USA Literary Award
Palestinian-American poet Fady Joudah (who I thought should’ve made the Beirut39, but never mind) has won this year’s 2010 PEN USA Literary Award for translation for his rendition of Mahmoud […]
What’s Missing from the Poetry in Beirut39?
When re-reading the Beirut39 collection, with a specific eye to its poetry, I began to develop a feeling—at some point—that something was missing.
Great Arabic Children’s Book Authors: Fatima Sharafeddine
A cross-post from Read Kutub KIDS. Writing keeps your inner balance, just like painting, dancing, or playing music. – Fatima Sharafeddine Fatima Sharafeddine (fatimasharafeddine.com) is perhaps the most prominent contemporary […]
Abu Dhabi to Host Regional Comic-Con
I’ve never been the sort who got excited about San Diego’s massive Comic-Con. At least to a cursory glance, it’s seemed to be more about promoting Hollywood blockbusters than about, […]
Nobel 2010: Co-Winners Elias Khoury and Amos Oz?
I saw this bit of speculation (Khoury and Oz) not in a major newspaper or magazine, where “Nobel 2010” handicapping hasn’t yet begun, but on World Literature Forum, from reader peter_d. Perhaps peter_d isn’t in the know, but it got me thinking about the 2010 Nobel Prize for Literature, which should be announced in October.