Over at Imtidad, Ghazi Gheblawi has a new translation of a poem by Rabee Shrair, titled “The Oranges.”
Shrair has been detained by Ghaddafi’s forces for more than four months now.
The Oranges
Worthy of love
On the day oranges bloom
Worthy of love
On the day oranges wither
Worthy of love
On the day oranges are picked
Worthy of love
On the day oranges are eaten
Worthy of love
On the day oranges are planted
On the day oranges are killed
There is a crying girl
In the dry corner of the field
Her tears are oranges
If you haven’t already, you can read a short story of Gheblawi’s online at Banipal. And more poetry from Shrair.
‘Heretic’ Fights EGYPTIAN Government Censorship
Sayyid al-Qemny is fighting censorship in the social sciences—not literature—but censorship of one concerns us all. Al-Qemny’s State Merit Award was stripped last Monday at the recommendation of the Board of State Commissioners.
The board took back the 200,000 LE award because, according to Al Masry Al Youm, they said “Qemny’s writings violated the Quran and the Sunnah, scorned the prophets and insulted God.”
Al-Qemny has said he will fight this decision.
In other censorship news: Sacking of TV host raises fears of self-censorship in private media
HOW MANY BOOKS SINCE JAN 25?
According to Youm7, the Egyptian national library has announced that 1,747 books were published in Arabic and 166 books in English since the uprising that began January 25.
The release said that “901 books were released in the humanities category, 175 books about in sciences, 566 books in arts and literature and 104 books in history and geography.”
It would be interesting to know how many of these were “revolution” titles.
What section of the bookstore is this?
I don’t understand why there were so many veiled women in this section, quite a misrepresentation of what Arabic literature is. This would appeal to reader who wants to read about “Women-oppression” or “How-I-escape-from-oppression” literature, if there is such genre!
the self-help section?
Which section… oh dear, let’s see: closeup silky niqab + khol galore x shimmy of the eye lashes x groups of little girls looking down x double square ‘the Bin Ladens’ … this has got to be ‘the fantasy section’, granted, also known as ‘ME non-fiction’ in north-west-of-the-mediteranean parlance. Whatever it is the sticker ‘Saudi Arabia’ and ‘women’s rights’ can’t be too far. Oh no, horror, it’s not the ‘Islam section’ these days is it?
BTW, @Kawdess doesn’t say where she took this. http://kawdess.tumblr.com/post/7931363673/lord-have-mercy
anywhere … :-S