Start Reading: Excerpt of Hani al-Rahib’s ‘The Epidemic’ for ‘And Other Stories’ Reading Group

And it begins: It’s time to get an copy of Hani al-Rahib’s الوباء or read the excerpt and more online at the And Other Stories website:

  • 2.-The-Epidemic-300x428Download and read Bassam Frangieh’s translation of an extract from The Epidemic, originally published in Banipal 9.
  • Read Bassam Frangieh’s profile of al-Rahib, ‘Hani al-Rahib and Writing in the Sands,’ also from Banipal 9.
  • Order the book in Arabic from Neel Wa Furat here, avail yourself of interlibrary loan, or visit your local (Arabic) bookshop.

Meetings to discuss the book, and its translatability, will take place in Cairo (details here) and New York (details TBA here) at the end of September, with additional interest coming from London and DC. If you live in London or DC and are interested in participating in a reading group, contact reading@andotherstories.org.

And as reading group ringleader Elisabeth Jaquette notes: “And for everyone, everywhere – I hope we can get a good discussion going on AOS’ forum on their author pages (here’s the one for Hani al-Rahib). Please do add your thoughts about the books and excerpts to the comments section.”

More about the And Other Stories project, which will include readings of two other novels (potentially to translate into English):

Crowdsourcing Discussions of Books to Translate: Get Involved in NYC, Cairo, Online

11 Comments

  1. I am interested in a reading group in NYC, Manhattan. Is there one?

    1. Yes indeedy! Well, I’m not sure where in NYC it will be, but you or I can email Lissie at reading@andotherstories.org to see if she’s decided on a location.

  2. We’re still looking for a location… and having a hard time finding a bookstore or other venue willing to host us. But as soon as we have that squared away, I’ll let you know the time & place.

    1. Maybe you should forget bookstores and try the Cathedral of St John the Divine, or Riverside Church.

      1. I got this comment in my email without context. 🙂

        1. It was a reply to an email stating there is a problem finding a place to hold the meeting in NYC.

          1. Yes, yes, I saw that when I clicked on it. But at first I thought you were suggesting church instead of bookstores as a general practice.

            1. Whatever works! I wouldn’t limit myself to one kind of venue, There is a place her called Alwan for the Arts. They have a website. That should be a good bet.

              1. I mean in general, Kathryn, not as a venue. I got it in my…. Uh, I guess the joke doesn’t work any more. I’ll give up now. 🙂

  3. Thanks for the suggestions, Kathyrn – in NYC we’ll be meeting to discuss The Epidemic on Wednesday October 2nd, 8:00pm at NYU’s Kevorkian Library. Hope to see you there!


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