Episode 34 of the Bulaq podcast featured guest Ruqaya Izzidien, author of the Betty Trask-shortlisted The Watermelon Boys and the force behind Muslim Impossible:
Our guest this episode was Ruqaya Izzidien, author of The Watermelon Boys, which was shortlisted for this year’s Betty Trask Prize. Izzidien will also be appearing June 30 at the Shubbak Festival in London, on a panel with Inaam Kachachi and Rabai al-Madhoun, and possibly Hammour Ziada.
Izzidien is also the editor behind Muslim Impossible, a new website that “reviews fictional Muslim and Arab characters in film, TV and literature that are unbelievable, poorly-researched or prejudiced.”
In that vein, we talked about George Orwell’s “Marrakech” essay, disagreeing about whether it falls in that category. Interestingly, there is a video and translation of part of the essay into Darija by a Moroccan YouTuber.
Listen to all of Episode 34.
