October 2014: Global Arab and Arabic Literary Events Calendar
A global list of events that feature Arab or Arabic literature in some sort of translation. Please email with events or add them below:
October 1
Dance Performance Based on Bahaa Taher’s Sunset Oasis (Cairo, Egypt)
I know, I can’t quite picture it, either. But if you liked the novel — plus, this is definitely a sort of translation. More here.
October 2
Highlight Arts Launch Event featuring Syrian Poet Golan Haji (Edinburgh, Scotland)
A free event with international food, poetry, and film, at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. More here.
October 3
Opening Night of Writers Between Two Cultures (Beirut, Lebanon)
The opening event features ArabLit contributor Mishka Mourani and Lebanese-Canadian novelist Rawi Hage. More here.
October 4
Palestinian novelist Adania Shibli at the Festival di Internazionale (Ferrara, Italy)
The acclaimed, fantastic Palestinian novelist and short-story writer Adania Shibli will appear at Ferrara’s Festival di Internazionale along with Teju Cole and Peter Froburg. (I might have to fly to Ferrara.) More here.
“A ray of light… between two nights.” A poetry reading by Ibrahim Nasrallah in Arabic, English, and French (Quebec, Canada)
Palestinian poet and novelist Ibrahim Nasrallah reads at Redpath Museum Auditorium. More here.
October 7
Comedian and Author Amer Zahr with a Panel at Iroquois Library (Louisville, USA)
Amer Zahr is an Arab-American stand-up comedian, author, and filmmaker who will appear on a panel at the Iroquois Library in Louisville, Kentucky. More here.
October 8
Frosty Utopias: Russian Connections in Arabic Literature from Mikhail Nu’aymah to Sonallah Ibrahim (Cairo, Egypt)
As part of the Center for Translation Studies series at the AUC’s Tahrir Campus, Oriental Hall. More here.
The Death of Arabic is Greatly Exaggerated: A Talk with Elias Muhanna (Providence, United States)
“Notes on the Future of a World Language,” by the blogger Qifa Nabki. More here.
October 9
Ahdaf Soueif at Beirut’s “Writers Between Two Cultures” festival (Beirut, Lebanon)
The Egyptian-British author speaks about writing between two languages and cultures. More here. NOTE: This event has been cancelled.
“Cairo Short Stories” Event at Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurt, Germany)
Award ceremony, reading, and talk with Egyptian author Areej Gamal and Iraqi-German author Abbas Khider. More here.
October 10
Abdellah Taïa at Beirut’s “Writers Between Two Cultures” festival (Beirut, Lebanon)
The Moroccan-French author speaks about writing between two languages and cultures. More here.
October 11
Saudi Novelist Raja Alem at the Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurt, Germany)
The novelist will also receive a prize for her novel The Dove’s Necklace, forthcoming in English 2015. More here.
October 13
Egyptian Novelist Alaa al-Aswany launches Italian Translation of Cairo Automobile Club (Turin, Italy)
The novelist will speak about his latest novel at the Natalia Ginzburg Public Library . More here.
October 14
Come Share My Meal: Poets from the Arabic Diaspora (NYC, USA)
Join poets Deema Shehabi, Lawrence Joseph and Sinan Antoon, plus poet and translator Marilyn Hacker and the Cathedral’s Poet in Residence Marilyn Nelson, for an evening of contemporary poetry from the Middle Eastern diaspora. More here.
Egyptian Novelist Alaa al-Aswany launches Italian Translation of Cairo Automobile Club (Milan, Italy)
The novelist will speak about his latest novel at laFeltrinelli Librerie. More here.
October 15
Egyptian Novelist Alaa al-Aswany launches Italian Translation of Cairo Automobile Club (Rome, Italy)
The novelist will speak about his latest novel at laFeltrinelli Libri e Musica . More here.
Readings from A Bird is Not a Stone (Edinburgh, Scotland)
A Bird is not a Stone is an anthology of contemporary Palestinian poetry translated by Scottish poets. Join hosts for readings from the anthology by Edinburgh Makar Christine De Luca and Abla Oudeh, who will read the original Arabic. Discussion afterwards with co-editor Sarah Irving. More here.
Opening of the “Maroc Contemporain” Festival (Paris, France)
Featuring Moroccan art, design, architecture, film, music, dance, theater, literature. Runs through January 15, 2015. More here.
October 20
Opening of the Nour Festival (London, England)
The first literary event is on October 22 at Kensington Central Library. More here.
October 22
The Book Alley – The AUC Press Book Club Discusses Rain Over Baghdad (Cairo, Egypt)
The AUC Press will be holding its upcoming “Book Alley” meeting to discuss Hala El Badry’s latest novel Rain Over Baghdad. Readers will have a chance to chat with the author. The meeting will be in AUC Tahrir Bookstore on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, beginning at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
October 30
Abdellatif Laâbi the Rebel (Paris, France)
A free event exploring the work of the great Moroccan poet, novelist, playwright and translator. More here.
BALMAL First-ever Library Open Evening with Jonathan Wright (London, England)
“Banipal and the Arab British Centre invite you to an unmissable evening at this unique literary resource in the heart of London, our lending library of over 600 works by contemporary Arab authors in English translation or written originally in English.” More here.