Published in 2023: Arabic Literature in Translation

By ArabLit Staff

This year, we have lists of literary works translated from Arabic to English, to French, to German, to Turkish, to Malayalam, and to Portuguese. Thanks to the volunteers who assembled these lists, which may not be comprehensive.

Translated from Arabic to English

Short-story collections

Tales of Tangier: The Complete Short Stories of Mohamed Choukri, by Mohamed Choukri, tr. Jonas Elbousty (Yale University Press)

They Fell Like Stars from the Sky and Other Stories, by Sheikha Helawy, tr. Nancy Roberts

Sour Grapes, by Zakaria Tamer, tr. Alessandro Columbu and Mireia Costa Capallera (Syracuse University Press)

East Jerusalem Noir, ed. Rawya Jarjoura Burbara (Akashic Books)

Poetry collections

Something Evergreen Called Life, by Rania Mamoun, tr. Yasmine Seale (Action Books)

I Will Not Fold These Maps, by Mona Kareem, tr. Sara Elkamel

Buland Al-Ḥaidari and Modern Iraqi Poetry: Selected Poems, by Buland Al-Ḥaidari, tr. ‘Abdulwāḥid Lu’lu’a (University of Notre Dame Press)

Strangers in Light Coats. Selected Poems, 2014–2020, by Ghassan Zaqtan, tr. Robin Moger (The University of Chicago Press)

Postcards From the Underworld. Poems, by Sinan Antoon, tr. the author (The University of Chicago Press)

The Book of Trivialities, by Majed Mujed, translated by Kareem James Abu-Zeid (Skein Press)

Novels

The Disappearance of Mr Nobody (اختفاء السيد لا واحد), by Ahmed Taibaoui, tr. Jonathan Wright (Hoopoe)

The Blue Light (الضوء الأزرق), by Hussein Barghouti, tr. Fady Joudah (Seagull)

Black Foam (رغوة سوداء), by Haji Jaber, translated by Sawad Hussain and M Lynx Qualey (AmazonCrossing)

Suleiman’s Ring, by Sherif Meleka, tr. Raymond Stock

Shalash the Iraqi, by Shalash, tr. Luke Leafgren (And Other Stories)

Birds of Nabaa, by Abdalla Uld Mohammedi Bah, tr. Raphael Cohen (Banipal Books)

No One Prayed Over Their Graves, by Khaled Khalifa, tr. Leri Price (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux)

History of Ash, by Khadija Marouazi, tr. Alexander E. Elinson (Hoopoe)

Shadow of the Sun, by Taleb Alfrefai, tr. Nashwa Nasreldin (Banipal Books)

The House of the Coptic Woman, by Ashraf El-Ashmawi, tr. Peter Daniel (Hoopoe Fiction)

This Thing Called Love, by Alawiya Sobh, tr. Max Weiss (Seagull Books)

An Old Carriage with Curtains, Ghassan Zaqtan, translated by Samuel Wilder (Seagull Books)

1970: The Last Days, Sonallah Ibrahim, translated by Eleanor Ellis (Seagull Books)

Classics

The Doctors’ Dinner Party, by Ibn Buṭlān, tr. Philip F. Kennedy and Jeremy Farrell (Library of Arabic Literature)

Fate the Hunter: Early Arabic Hunting Poems, ed. & tr. James Montgomery (Library of Arabic Literature)

The Book of Monasteries, by al-Shābushtī, tr. Hilary Kilpatrick (Library of Arabic Literature)

Nonfiction

The Beauty Hunters: Sudanese Bedouin Poetry, Evolution and Impact, by Adil Babikir, tr. the author

Love and Poetry in the Middle East: Love and Literature from Antiquity to the Present, ed. Atef Alshaer (I.B. Tauris)

Rotten Evidence: Reading and Writing in an Egyptian Prison, by Ahmed Naji, tr. Katharine Halls

Traces of Enayat, by Iman Mersal, tr. Robin Moger (And Other Stories)

Graphic novels

Shubeik Lubeik, by Deena Mohamed, tr. the author (Pantheon)

Yoghurt and Jam, by Lena Merhej, tr. Nadiyah Abdullatif and Anam Zafar

Kid lit & YA

Wild Poppies, by Haya Saleh, tr. M Lynx Qualey (Levine Querido)

The Number 25, by Feda Shtia, tr. M Lynx Qualey (Sunono Publishing)

Translated from Arabic to French

Thanks to Olivia Snajie

Les jardins de Basra (بساتين البصرة), by Mansoura Ez-Eldin, tr. Philippe Vigreux (Actes Sud)

Sur le méridien de Greenwich (على خط غرينتش), by Shady Lewis, tr. Sophie Pommier & May Rostom (Actes Sud)

Les Portes du paradis (خطف الحبيب), by Taleb Alrefai, tr. Luc Barbulesco (Actes Sud)

L’Étoile de la mer (أولاد الغيتو 2: نجمة البحر), by Elias Khoury, tr. Rania Samara (Actes Sud)

La demeure du vent, by Samar Yazbek, tr. Khaled Osman & Ola Mehanna (Editions Stock)

Translated from Arabic to German

Thanks to Leonie Rau

Das Buch vom Verschwinden, by Ibtisam Azem, tr. Joël László (Lenos)

Männer in der Sonne, by Ghassan Kanafani, tr. Hartmut Fähndrich (Lenos)

Kein Wasser stillt ihren Durst, by Najat Abed Alsamad, tr. Larissa Bender (Edition Faust)

Translated from Arabic to Turkish

Thanks to Mehmet Hakkı Suçin

Translated from Arabic to Malayalam

Thanks to S.A. Qudsi

Translated from Arabic to Portuguese

Thanks to Felipe Benjamin Francisco

Homens ao sol (رجال في الشمس), by Ghassan Kanafani, tr. Safa Jubran (Editora Tabla)

Retorno a Haifa (عائد إلى حيفا), by Ghassan Kanafani, tr. Ahmed Zoghbi (Editora Tabla)

Umm Saad (أم سعد), by Ghassan Kanafani, tr. Michel Sleiman (Editora Tabla)

Bagdá Noir (بغداد نوار), ed. Samuel Shimon, tr. Jemima Alves (Editora Tabla)

A vizinha tunisiana (الاشتياق إلى الجارة), by Habib Selmi, tr. Felipe Benjamin Francisco (Editora Tabla)

O girassol (دوّار الشمس), by Amal Naser, tr. Maria Carolina Gonçalves (Editora Tabla)

No rastro de Enayat (في أثر عنايات الزيات), by Iman Mersal, tr. Nisreene Matar (Editora Rua do Sabão)

A queda do Imã (سقوط الإمام), by Nawal El-Saadawi, tr. Safa Jubran (Editora Tabla)

Translated from Arabic to Italian

Thanks to Antonino d’Esposito

Otared. Tre stagioni all’infermo, Mohammad Rabie, tr. Federica Pistono (Atmosphere Libri)

La casa dei notabili, Amira Ghenim, tr. Barbara Teresi (Edizioni e/o)

La corte spartana, Abdelouahab Aissaoui, tr. Hocine Benchina e Jolanda Guardi (Centro Studi Ilà)

Un letto per la figlia del re, Shahla al-Ujayli, tr. Amira Kelany (MReditori)

L’archivio dei danni collaterali, Sinan Antoon, tr. Ada Barbaro (Hopefulmonster)

La musica, Kahlil Gibran, tr. F. Medici, M. El Hajj, N. Najem (Mesogea)

L’ultima terra. Una storia palestinese, Ramzy Baroud, tr. Romana Rubeo (Lebeg)

Rinascita, racconti dal Qatar, AA. VV., tr. N. Kalach, J. Guardi, F. Leggio, F. Pistono (Unint University
Press)

Paradiso in terra, Fadi Zaghmout, tr. Roberta Loi (Future Fiction)

Esodo dall’abisso del Mediterraneo. Poesie scelte, Nuri al-Jarrah, tr. Francesca Maria Corrao (Le Monnier)

Il macellaio di Casablanca, Abdelilah Hamdouchi, tr. Barbara Benini (MReditori)

I recinti degli schiavi, Najwa bin Shatwan, tr. Federica Pistono (Atmosphere libri)

Come un nano che avanza lentamente dentro la leggenda, Lamis Saidi, tr. Valentina Balata (Centro Studi Ilà)

L’albero delle arance amare, Jokha Alharthi, tr. Giacomo Longhi (Bompiani)

Racconto Palestina, Mohammed Sabaaneh, tr. Enrica Battista (Mesogea)

L’idea del fiume, Hassan Najmi, tr. Sana Darghmouni (Astarte)

Darti acqua come un amuleto, Najat Abd al-Samad, tr. Federica Pistono e Amira Kelany (Poiesis)

La confusione della cicogna, Akram Musallam, tr. Leila Mattar (Edizioni Q)

Confessioni di un califfo, Hassan Aourid, tr. Alessandra Azzarelli (Astarte)

Sierra de muerte, Abdelouahab Aissaoui, tr. Antonino d’Esposito (MReditori)

Le mu’allaqat, AA. VV., tr. V. Balata-H. Benchina-A. d’Esposito-L. Franzini-J. Guardi-F. Pistono-M.
Soave (al-Mutawassit)

Letteratura per l’infanzia:

Il giuggiolo dei ricordi, Reem al Gurg, tr. Barbara Teresi (Gallucci)

Ibn Majid, Fatima Sharafeddine, tr. Cristina Dozio (Gallucci)

Pensa agli altri, Mahmoud Darwish, tr. Alessandra Amorello (Lorusso)