Cover Reveal: Iman Mersal’s ‘Traces of Enayat’

And Other Stories has released the cover of Iman Mersal’s groundbreaking Traces of Enayat, set for release in Robin Moger’s translation this August 3. The cover, designed by Tom Etherington, features a photo of Mersal on her search for traces of the elusive Enayat al-Zayyat.

While you wait, two episodes of BULAQ:

EPISODE 70: Iman Mersal: Books You Need To Read & Need to Write:

In this episode, we talk with Egyptian poet and writer Iman Mersal. In 1993, Mersal picked up an unknown novel by a forgotten writer from the 60s. And so began her long wanderings in search of Enayat El Zayat. El Zayat killed herself in 1963, four years before her book “Love and Silence” was finally published. Mersal’s portrait of El Zayat is a remarkable work of research, empathy and imagination. We read excerpts from Robin Moger’s forthcoming English translation. The only novel by Enayat al-Zayyat (1936-63), Love and Silence ‫(الحب و الصمت) ,‬ was recently republished and is available on Google Play.

EPISODE 48: Love and Silence: Rediscovering Enayat El Zayat

 In 1993, the Egyptian poet and writer Iman Mersal picked up an unknown novel by a forgotten writer from the 60s. And so began her long wanderings in search of Enayat El Zayat. El Zayat killed herself in 1963, four years before her book “Love and Silence” was finally published. Mersal’s portrait of El Zayat is a remarkable work of research, empathy and imagination. This episode focuses on Iman Mersal’s In the Footsteps of Enayat al-Zayyat (في أثر عنايات الزيات), published by Kotob Khan Books in late 2019.

Also listen to the Iman Mersal episode of Maqsouda, with a focus on her poetry. Mersal’s collection The Threshold, translated by Robyn Creswell, is a finalist for the Griffin Poetry Prize in Canada.