Published in 2021: Arabic Literature in Catalan, English, Euskera, French, German, Greek, Italian, Malayalam, Portuguese, Spanish, & Turkish Translation

The lists below represent only a small glimpse of what was translated from Arabic and published in world languages in 2021. We have not listed the many titles that appeared in Scandinavian languages; in Korean, Japanese, or Chinese; or in Eastern European languages, for instance. Next year, perhaps, we will have a broader vision.

For now, thanks to everyone who helped assemble this list. And, for those who are interested in comparing covers and presentations across language, follow our “six languages, six covers” series over at Instagram.

Scroll for: Catalan – English – Euskera – French – German – Greek – Italian – Malayalam – Portuguese – Spanish – Turkish

Translated from Arabic to Catalan

Les mil i una nits (1001 Nights), translated by Margarida Castells Criballés (Editorial Karwán)

Translated from Arabic to English

Thanks to the AELTA group.

Short-story collections and anthologies

A Bed for the King’s Daughter, by Shahla Ujayli, tr. Sawad Hussain (University of Texas Press)

The Book of Ramallah, ed. by Maya Abu al-Hayat (Comma Press)

Packaged Lives: 10 Stories and a Novella, by Haifa Zangana, tr. Wen-chin Ouyang (Syracuse University Press)

Catalogue of a Private Life, by Najwa Binshatwan, tr. Sawad Hussain (Dedalus Books)

Mo(a)t: Stories from Arabic, ed. Garen Torikian, tr. Nariman Youssef and Sawad Hussain (UEA Publishing Project)

Poetry

My Heart Became a Bomb, by Ramy al-Asheq, tr. Levi Thompson (University of Texas Press)

Exhausted on the Cross, by Najwan Darwish, tr. Kareem James Abu-Zeid and with a foreword by Raul Zurita (NYRB Poets)

Except for This Unseen Thread: Selected Poems, by Ra’ad Abdulqadir, tr. Mona Kareem (Ugly Duckling Presser’s)

A Dove in Free Flight, by Faraj Bayrakdar, ed. Ammiel Alcalay and Shareah Taleghani, tr. by by the New York Translation Collective

Come Take a Gentle Stab! Selections from Salim Barakat, by Salim Barakat, tr. Huda Fakhreddine & Jayson Iwen (Seagull Books)

Poems of Alexandria and New York, by Ahmed Morsi, tr. Raphael Cohen

Novels

Voices of the Lost, by Hoda Barakat, tr. Marilyn Booth (OneWorld, Yale University Press)

My First and Only Love, by Sahar Khalifeh, tr.  Aida Bamia (Hoopoe Fiction)

The Book Smuggler, by Omaima Al-Khamis, tr. Sarah Enany (Hoopoe Fiction)

The Critical Case of a Man Called K, by Aziz Muhammad, tr. Humphrey Davies (Hoopoe Fiction)

All the Women Inside Me, by Jana Fawwaz Elhassan, tr. Michelle Hartman (Interlink Books)

Hot Maroc, by Yassin Adnan, tr. Alex Elinson (Syracuse University Press)

The Lady of Zamalek, by Ashraf El-Ashmawi, tr. Peter Daniel (Hoopoe Fiction)

Roundabout of Death, by Faysal Khartash, tr. Max Weiss (New Vessel Press)

Warda, by Sonallah Ibrahim, tr. Hosam aboul-Ela (Yale University Press)

Slipping, by Mohamed Kheir, tr. Robin Moger (Two Lines Press)

Planet of Clay, by Samar Yazbek, tr. Leri Price (World Editions)

Here is a Body, by Basma Abdel Aziz, tr. Jonathan Wright (Hoopoe Fiction)

I Do Not Sleep, by Ihsan Abdel Kouddous, tr. Jonathan Smolin (Hoopoe Fiction)

The Italian, by Shukri al-Mabkhout, tr. Karen McNeil and Miled Faiza (Europa Editions)

The Dance of the Deep-blue Scorpion, by Akram Musallam, tr. Sawad Hussain (Seagull Books) 

Crossing Embers, by Badria al-Shihhi, tr. Sawad Hussain (Dar Arab)

Without, by Younis AlAkhzami, tr. Michelle Hartman and Caline Nasrallah (Dar Arab)

Five Days Untold, by Badr Ahmed, tr. Christiaan James (Dar Arab)

Sarajevo Firewood, by Saïd Khatibi, tr. Paul Starkey (Banipal Books)

Beautiful Creatures, by Fadhil al-Azzawi, tr. Fadhil al-Azzawi (Banipal Books)

The Madness of Despair, by Ghalya F T Al Said, tr. Raphael Cohen (Banipal Books)

Nonfiction

The Heart of Lebanon, by Ameen Rihani, ed. by Ameen Albert Rihani, tr. Roger Allen (Syracuse University Press)

I’m in Seattle, Where Are You? by Mortada Gzar, tr. William Hutchins (Amazon Crossing)

The Republic of False Truths, by Alaa al-Aswany, tr. S.R. Fellowes (Penguin Random House)

Memoirs of a Militant: My Years in the Khiam Women’s Prison, by Nawal Qasim Baidoun, ed. and introduced by Malek Abisaab and Michelle Hartman, tr. Michelle Hartman and Caline Nasrallah (Interlink Books)

You Have Not Yet Been Defeated: Selected Writings 2011-2019, by Alaa Abd El-Fattah, tr. by various (Fitzcarraldo)

No One May Remain: Agatha Christie, Come, I’ll Tell You How I Live, by Haitham Hussein, tr. Nicole Fares (Dar Arab)

Un-genred

 Ever Since I Did Not Die, by Ramy al-Asheq, tr. Isis Nusair (Seagull Books)

Classics

The Book of Travels, by Hanna Diyab, ed. Johannes Stephan, tr. Elias Muhanna, foreword by Yasmine Seale, afterword by Paulo Lemos Horta (Library of Arabic Literature)

A Physician on the Nile: A Description of Egypt and Journal of the Famine Years, by ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī, ed. and tr. Tim Mackintosh-Smith (Library of Arabic Literature)

The Portrait of Abu l-Qasim al-Baghdadi, by al-Azdi, tr. Geert Jan van Gelder and Emily Selove (Gibb) 

The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman, a newly translated abridgment of the Arabic epic by Melanie Magidow (Penguin Classics)

The Annotated Arabian Nights, tr. Yasmine Seale (W.W. Norton)

A Physician on the Nile: A Description of Egypt and Journal of the Famine Years, by ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī, ed. and tr. Tim Mackintosh-Smith (Library of Arabic Literature)

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Translated from Arabic to Euskera

Thanks to Luz Comendador.

Jakobian eraikina (The Yacoubian Building), by Alaa Al Aswani, tr. Arantzazu Royo and Xabier Olarra (Igela)

Translated from Arabic to French

Thanks to Leonie Rau

Les Corps Célestes (Celestial Bodies), by Jokha Alharthi, tr. Khaled Osman (Stephane Marsan)

Monsieur N., by Najwa Barakat, tr. Philippe Vigreux (Actes Sud/L’Orient des Livres)

Le cas critique du dénommé K (The Critical Case of a Man Called K), by Aziz Mohammed, tr. Simon Corthay (Actes Sud)

L’Epouse D’Amman (Bride of Amman), by Fadi Zaghmout, tr. Davide Knecht with assistance from Thomas Scolari (L’Asiathèque)

Le Roi des Indes (The King of India), by Jabbour Douaihy, tr. Stéphanie Dujols (Actes Sud/L’Orient des Livres)

Un billet pour deux. Anthologie poétique 2010-2019, by Abbas Beydoun, tr. Nathalie Bontemps (Actes Sud/L’Orient des Livres)

Le Voyage d’Ibn Fattouma (The Journey of Ibn Fattouma), by Naguib Mahfouz, tr. Martine Houssay (Actes Sud)

Sur les traces d’Enayat Zayyat (In the Footsteps of Enayat al-Zayyat), by Iman Mersal, tr. Richard Jacquemond (Actes Sud)

Moi, étoile filante, by Khaled Al Khamissi, tr. Sarah Rolfo (Actes Sud)

Le Royaume d’Adam et autres poèmes, by Amjad Nasser, tr. Antoine Jockey (Actes Sud)

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Translated from Arabic to German

Thanks to Leonie Rau

Die Republik der Träumer (The Republic of False Truths), by Alaa al-Aswany, tr. Marcus Lemke (Hanser)

Soad und das Militär, by Najem Wali, tr. Christine Battermann (Secession Verlag)

Ein Leben in der Schwebe (A Suspended Life), by Atef Abu Saif, tr. Hartmut Fähndrich (Unionsverlag)

Keine Luft zum Atmen (Missing Picture), by Asmaa al-Atawna, tr. Joël László (Lenos)

Der Messias von Darfur (The Messiah of Darfur), by Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin, tr. Günther Orth (Edition Orient)

Geht auf Zehenspitzen, denn die Heimat liegt im Sterben!, by Muhammad al-Maghut, tr. Stephan Milich, ed. Khalid Al-Maaly (Schiler & Mücke)

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Translated from Arabic to Greek

Thanks to Persa Koumoutsi

Νυχτερινό ταχυδρομείο (Voices of the Lost, بريد الليل), by Hoda Barakat, tr. Persa Koumoutsi (Kedros Editions)

Δί-χως (Without: Collected Poems), by Najwan Darwish, tr. Persa Koumoutsi (Parakentro Editions, Cyprus)

Ανέκδοτα για τους ένοπλους (Jokes for the Gunmen), by Maazen Maarouf, tr. Persa Koumoutsi (Haramada Editions)

Το σύνδρομο της δικτατορίας (The Dictatorship Syndrome), by Alaa Al-Aswany, tr. Antonis Kalokyris (Patakis Editions)

Η Πύλη του Ήλιου (Gate of the Sun), by Elias Khoury, tr. Eleni Kapetanaki (Kastaniotis Editions)

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Translated from Arabic to Italian

Thanks to Chiara Comito, who has a more complete list forthcoming at editoriaraba.com

Un dettaglio minore (Minor Detail), by Adania Shibli, tr. Monica Ruocco (La nave di Theseo)

Lo, lei e le altre (She, Her, and the Other Women), by Jana Fawaz Elhassan, tr. Amira Kelany (MrEditori)

La settima sigaretta (Cigarette No. 7), by Donia Kamal tr. Barbara Benini (Poiesis)

In disparte e altre poesie (Collected Poetry), by Hassan Najmi, tr. Sana Darghmouni (Astarte edizioni)

Marmellata con Laban: come mia madre è diventata libanese (Jam and Yogurt: How My Mother Became Lebanese), Lena Merhej, tr. Enrica Battista (Mesogea)

Printed in Beirut (Printed in Beirut), by Jabbour Douaihy, tr. Elisabetta Bartuli (Francesco Brioschi)

Allah 99 (God99), by Hassan Blasim, tr. Barbara Teresi (Utopia edizioni)

Nessuno ha pregato per loro (Nobody Prayed Over Their Graves), by Khaled Khalifa, tr. Elena Chiti (Bompiani)

Non siete stati ancora sconfitti (You Have Not Yet Been Defeated), by Alaa Abd El-Fattah, tr. Monica Ruocco (hopefulmonster edizioni)

Adrenalina (Adrenaline), by Ghayath al-Madhoun, tr. Jolanda Guardi (Centro Studi Ilà)

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Translated from Arabic to Malayalam

Thanks to S.A. Qudsi

Maranam Dushkaram (Death is Hard Work ), by Khaled Khalifa, tr. Dr. N. Shamnad (Green Books)

Nakshathrangal Manthrichathu (Whisper of Stars), by Naguib Mahfouz, tr. Dr. E.M. Shamnad (Mathrubhumi Books)

Asmarayile Shaithya Kaalam, by Hashim Mahmoud, tr. Dr. U.P. Muhammed Abid ( Lipi Pthaublishers)

Neela Mashippena (Planet of Clay, al-Mashsha’a), by Samar Yazbek, tr. Dr. N. Shamnad (Green Books)

Zainaba (Zainab), by Muhammad Hussein Haikal, tr. S.A. Qudsi (Mathrubhumi Books)

_____

Translated from Arabic to Portuguese

Thanks to Felipe Benjamin Francisco

Beirute Noir (Beirut Noir), by Iman Humaydan, tr. Pedro Martins Criado (Editora Tabla)

Onze Astros (Eleven Planets), by Mahmoud Darwish, tr. Michel Sleiman (Editora Tabla)

Memória para o esquecimento (Memory for Forgetfulness), by Mahmoud Darwish, tr. Safa Jubran (Editora Tabla)

E quem é Meryl Streep? (Who’s afraid of Meryl Streep?), by Rashid Al-Daif, tr. Felipe Benjamin Francisco (Editora Tabla)

O Arador das águas (The Tiller of Waters), by Hoda Barakat, tr. Safa Jubran (Editora Tabla)

Yunis, by Amal Naser, tr. Maria Carolina Gonçalves (Editora Tabla)

Uma história inventada do começo ao fim (A Story That Begins and Ends With
Imagination), by Sonia Nimer, tr. Maria Carolina Gonçalves (Editora Tabla)

O sussurro das estrelas (The Whisper of Stars), by Naguib Mahfouz, tr. Pedro Martins Criado (Editora Carambaia)

Detalhe menor (Minor Detail), by Adania Shibli, tr. Safa Jubran (Editora Todavia)

O livro das Mil e uma noites (Thousand and One Nights) (5th volume), tr. Mamede Mustafa Jarouche (Editora Globo, Biblioteca Azul)

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Translated from Arabic to Spanish

Thanks to Luz Comendador.

La república era esto (The Republic of False Truths), by Alaa Al-Aswani, tr. Noemí Fierro (Anagrama)

El mesías de Darfur (The Messiah of Darfur), by Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin, tr. Salvador Peña Martín (Armaenia Editorial)

El humo de la brújula: antología poética (Smoke from the Compass: A Collection of Poetry), by Sargon Boulus, tr. María Luisa Prieto and Ahmad Yamani (Olifante)

Otro hueso para el perro de la tribu (Another Bone for the Tribe’s Dog), by Sargon Boulus, tr. Luz Gómez (Ediciones del Oriente y del Mediaterráneo)

El asno de plata (The Silver Donkey), by Hassan Aourid, tr. Ana María Sánchez Medina (Comares)

Cuentos del Sahara argelino (Stories from the Algerian Sahara), ed. and tr. Francisco Moscoso García (Universidad de Córdoba)

Tratados, by Omar Jayyam, tr. from Arabic, Milagros Nuin, Jaafar al-Aluni, Antonio Martínez Castro and from Farsi, Clara Janés, Said Garby (Alianza Editorial)

Ali, el brigadista : historia de un hombre recto (Ali, the Story of an Honorable Man), by Hussein Yassin, tr. Antonio Martínez Castro (Comares)

Al sur del alma (South of the Soul), by Mohamed Achaari, tr. Saif E. I. Benabdennour (Diwan Mayrit)

Diwan, by Al-Hallag, tr. Halil Bárcena (Fragmenta)

Los susurros de las estrellas (The Whisper of Stars), by Naguib Mahfuz, tr. Iñaqui Gutiérrez de Terán (Alianza)

Translated from Arabic to Turkish

Thanks to Mehmet Hakkı Suçin

Yedi Askı Şiirleri. Muallakalar (The Muallaqat), tr. Mehmet Hakkı Suçin (Kırmızı Kedi)

Hayy bin Yakzan, by İbn Tufeyl, tr. Mehmet Hakkı Suçin (Kapı Yayınları)

Hayy bin Yakzân, by İbn Tufeyl, tr. Onur Özata (İş Bankası Yayınları)

Küçük Bir Ayrıntı (Minor Detail]), by Adania Shibli, tr. Mehmet Hakkı Suçin (Can Yayınları)

Akdeniz Sürgünü (The Tiller of Waters), by Hoda Barakat, tr. Mustafa İsmail Dönmez (Delidolu Yayınları)

Bedenin Hafızası (Memory in the Flesh), by Ahlam Mostaghanemi, tr. Mustafa İsmail Dönmez (Nemesis Kitap)

Bir Arap Kadının İtirafları (Confessions of a Women/Zaya), by Rim es-Sakr (Reem Al-Saqr), tr. Mustafa İsmail Dönmez (Yeni İnsan Yayınevi)

Dolunay Kadınları (Celestial Bodies), by Jokha Alharthi, tr. Süleyman Şahin (Timaş Yayınları)

Marie-Claire’in Kokuları (The Scents of Marie-Claire), by Habib Selmi, tr. Celâl Demirel (İletişim Yayınları)