Year in Review: 2024 at ArabLit
Below, readers can find a quick look back at some of the things ArabLit published in 2024.
This year, we published more than 100 writers in translation from more than a dozen countries, including more than 80 here on the website; to do so, we worked with both emerging and established translators. We were able to publish the “Gaza! Gaza! Gaza!” issue of ArabLit Quarterly, as well as And Still We Write: Recent work by Palestinian poets & actions you can take to stop genocide now, and — thanks to your support — to pay writers and translators in Gaza and beyond. Currently, we are in the process of distributing payments to 24 writers in Gaza.
We also ran our inaugural Arabic Flash Fiction competition, together with Komet Kashakeel. Look for a book with the winners early next year.
Thank you to everyone who supported these efforts, whether through Patreon, magazine and book sales, Substack, or individual donations.
~January 2024~
In January, we made a call for submissions for our Gaza! Gaza! Gaza! issue. In prize news: Luke Leafgren won the Banipal prize for his translation of Najwa Barakat’s N and Ahmed Naji’s Rotten Evidence, tr. Katharine Halls, was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle award. We also participated in the global #ReadforRefaat day of action and talked to the publishers simultaneously bringing out Atef Abu Saif’s Don’t Look Left: Diary of a Genocide in different languages.
Fiction
“Is She Tamimia . . . or Taghlabia?” by Sudanese writer Abdulhafez Maryoud, tr. Nassir al-Sayied al-Nour
“Underneath the Rubble,” by Syrian writer Iyad Shaheen, tr. Ghada Alatrash
An excerpt from Edo’s Souls, by South Sudanese writer Stella Gaitano, tr. Sawad Hussain
Poetry
“You Don’t Need Your Glasses, Santa,” by Palestinian poet Basman Eldirawi, tr. Tala Ladki
“Drawing Class,” by the late Palestinian poet Salim Al-Nafar, tr. Danielle Linehhan Kiedaisch and Lorna MacBean
“By Force of Habit,” by Palestinian poet Ghassan Zaqtan, tr. Robin Moger
“The Suicides,” by Lebanese-Australian poet Wadih Saadeh, tr. Suneela Mubayi
Nonfiction
An Excerpt from ‘Don’t Look Left’: Day 9, by Palestinian author Atef Abu Saif
Listicles
20 Palestinian Stories, in Translation, Online
16 Zines from and About Palestine
Interviews
Layla Azmi Goushey on Launching Multilingual ‘Baladi’ Magazine
Six Publishers on Why They’re Bringing Out ‘Don’t Look Left’
~February 2024~
In February 2024, several new Arabic books came out in English translation, including Where the Wind Calls Home, by Samar Yazbek, tr. Leri Price; The Djinn’s Apple, by Djamila Morani, tr. Sawad Hussain; and Another Room to Live In: 15 Contemporary Arab Poets, ed. Omar Berrada and Sarah Riggs. In prize news, the International Prize for Arabic Fiction announced their six-book shortlist and Marilyn Booth’s translation of Jan Dost’s Safe Corridor won the inaugural Bait AlGhasham DarArab Translation Prize. Egyptian author Magdy Naguib died at 87.
Fiction
An excerpt from The Djinn’s Apple, by Algerian author Djamila Morani, tr. Sawad Hussain
An excerpt from Where the Wind Calls Home, by Syrian author Samar Yazbek, tr. Leri Price
An excerpt from The Feathers, by Syrian author Salim Barakat, tr. Mahmoud Hosny Roshdy
“A Special Camaraderie for a Lonely Individual,” by Egyptian author Basma Nagy, tr. Enas Eltorky
“Strange Things Happening Outside,” by Palestinian author Ziad Khaddash, tr. Victoria Issa
Poetry
“Mary of Gaza,” by Palestinian poet Ibrahim Nasrallah, tr. Huda Fakhreddine
“I Am Not Jesus,” by Palestinian poet Basman Eldirawi
“This Scar” and “Ancient Souls,” by Saudi poet Ahmad Al-Mulla, tr. Nour Jaljuli
Nonfiction
An excerpt from al-Shabushti’s Book of Monasteries, by Iraqi scribe and librarian al-Shābushtī’s (d. 388/998 or 389/999), tr. Hilary Kilpatrick
Listicles
Three 2024 Collections of New Poetry with and from Gaza
Interviews
A Talk About Israeli Damage to Archives, Libraries, and Museums in Gaza
~March 2024~
Many new titles were released in March, including Out of Gaza, ed. Atef Alshaer and Alan Morrison; Before the Queen Falls Asleep, by Huzama Habayeb, tr. Kay Heikennen; The Last Crossing, by Badriya Al-Badri, tr. Katherine Van De Vate; Lost In Mecca, by Bothayna Al-Essa, tr. Nada Faris; Huddud’s House, by Fadi Azzam, tr. Ghada Alatrash; and On Ethics and Character Traits: An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistle 9, Brethren of Purity Series, edited and translated by Omar Alí-de-Unzaga. In prize news, Khadija Marouazi’s History of Ash and Alawiya Sobh’s This Thing Called Love were shortlisted for the EBRD prize and Joyce Mansour’s Emerald Wounds made the Griffin Poetry Prize longlist.
Fiction
“I Did Not Know Peacocks Could Fly,” by Egyptian author Bahaa Taher, tr. Karam AbuSehly
“A Boy Who Became a Man,” by Egyptian author Muhammad Taymour (1892 – 1921), tr. Amr El-Zawawy
An excerpt from Where the Two Seas Meet, by Palestinian-Jordanian author Walid Saif, tr. Abdellah El Boubekri
An excerpt from A Drop of Alcohol, by Saudi author Abdulaziz al-Saqabi, tr. Lily Sadowsky
Poetry
“War. War. War” by Syrian poet Riyad al-Saleh al-Hussein, tr. Ibtihal Rida Mahmood
“Burst These Arteries,” “The Silent Poets,” and “Driving While Clothed,” by Syrian poet Da’ad Haddad, tr. Ibtihal Rida Mahmood
“From Gaza, Answering Darwish,” by Palestinian poet Basman Eldirawi
Reviews
“Why Should We Translate the Novels of Ahmed Khaled Tawfik?” by Melissa Krawczyk
Looking for Ghosts: On Said Khatibi’s End of the Sahara, by M Lynx Qualey
Listicles
10 Short Stories by Palestinian Women
Interviews
Hanan Jasim-Khammas: On Writing the Body in Iraqi Literature After 2003
~April 2024~
New titles out in April included The Screams of War: Selected Poems, by Akram Alkatreb, tr. Jonas Elbousty; The Tale of a Wall, by Nasser Abu Srour, tr. Luke Leafgren; Selamlik, by Khaled Alesmael, tr. Leri Price;
Fiction
An excerpt from My Romantic Aunt, by Iraqi author Najem Wali, tr. Nada Hodali
An excerpt from Orbits of Loneliness, by Iraqi author Duna Ghali, tr. maia tabet
“The Drunken Donkey,” by Sudanese author Dr. Abuelgasim Gour, tr. Nassir al-Sayeid al-Nour
Poetry
“When the War Parts,” by Palestinian poet Heba Al-Agha, tr. Julia Choucair Vizoso
Nonfiction
“Resistance and the Palestinian Folk Song,” by Palestinian author Shaimaa Abulebda
An excerpt from A Novel for My Story, by Palestinian author Sahar Khalifeh, tr. Nada Hodali
“On Translating a History of Ramallah,” by Palestinian author Samira Meghdessian
Interviews
Golan Haji & Marilyn Hacker on the Inseparable Natures of Writing and Translating
‘Before the Queen Falls Asleep’: In Conversation with Kay Heikkinen
‘Bidayàt’: Aldo Nicosia on a Collection of Beginnings
~May 2024~
Finally, in May, we launched the Spring 2024 issue of ArabLit Quarterly: “Gaza! Gaza! Gaza!” Other Arabic literary works published in English translation in May were: At Rest in the Cherry Orchard, by Azher Jirjees, tr. Jonathan Wright; In Gaddafi’s Clutches, by
Fiction
“Holy Wednesday,” by Egyptian author Mahmoud Aboudoma, tr. Sarah Enany
“The Miracle,” by Palestinian author Suheir Daoud, tr. Leonie Rau
An excerpt from Hedgehogs on a Hot Day, by Iraqi author Falah Raheem, tr. the author
An excerpt from The Madmen of Bethlehem, by Palestinian author Osama al-Eissa, tr. Paul Starkey
An excerpt from Rose’s Diaries, by Emirati author Reem al-Kamali, tr. Chip Rossetti
Poetry
“They Prepare for their Weddings,” by Palestinian poet Atef Alshaer, translated by the author
“Houses That Cling to the Tongue,” by Egyptian poet Mahmoud Kiralla, tr. Tamer Fathy Mabrouk
From “This Moment,” by Palestinian poet Beesan Nateel, tr. ArabLit
“Every Time I Leave the House,” by Palestinian poet Haidar al-Ghazali, tr. ArabLit
Reviews
“What Can Palestinian Literature Tell Us About Amputations in Gaza?,” by Graham Liddell
“‘Maqam Kurd’: A Counterpoint of Fragmented Identities,” by Moroccan writer Mohammed Said Hjiouij
Listicles
Recommendations: On the New Wave of Memoirs from Iraq
Interviews
Duna Ghali on Writing, Translating, and Publishing Between Arabic and Danish
A Talk with Fadi Azzam and Ghada Alatrash: “Today, We Need to Write at Least a Thousand Syrian Novels”
Sarah Enany on Living — And Making a Living — As a Translator in Egypt
Shakir Mustafa on the Obstacles to Translating Iraqi Literature into English
On Translating a Novel of Might-have-beens in ’60s Dubai
~June 2024~
In June 2024, we opened the first Arabic Flash Fiction competition in partnership with Komet Kashakeel. Among the books published in translation in June were A Nose and Three Eyes, by Ihsan Abdel Kouddous, tr. Jonathan Smolin and Sololand: The Clock and The Guests, by Hassan Blasim. The “Workshops for Gaza” project launched.
Fiction
“The Doctor,” by Sudanese author Abdulmajid Olesh, tr. Nassir al-Sayied al-Nour
An excerpt from The Taste of Sleep, by Egyptian author Tareq Imam, tr. Katherine Van de Vate
An excerpt from Selamlik, by Syrian author Khaled Alesmael, tr. Leri Price
“The Crow’s Revelation,” by Iraqi writer Azher Jerjis, tr. Bianca Rosen
Poetry
“When a Missile Lands,” by Palestinian poet Yahya Ashour, tr. Khaled Rajeh
“The Statues of Midday,” by Syrian poet Akram Alkatreb, tr. Jonas Elbousty
“Now You Are All of Us,” by Saudi poet Muhammad Al-Turki, tr. Moneera al-Ghadeer
“I Did Not Survive the War,” by Palestinian poet Ramzi Salem, tr. the author
“Feet That Come Before the Dawn,” by Palestinian poet Ramzi Salem, tr. the author
“War’s Echo,” by Palestinian poet Mohammed AlQudwa, tr. Tala Al-Banna
Nonfiction
Hanan al-Shaykh on Romance, Writing, & Ihsan Abdel Kouddous
A Look Back: Iconic Egyptian Writer Ihsan Abdel Kouddous
The Story of a Poem: Refaat Alareer’s ‘If I Must Die’
“My Grandfather and the Bookseller,” by Abdalla Bayyari, tr. Dima Masri
Interviews
“On Translating ‘Small, Shining Moments of Crystalline Beauty’” – Tugrul Mende talks with Leri Price
“On Translating a Novel of ‘Profound Gentleness in a Violent Milieu’” – Olivia Snaije talks with Sarah Rolfo
~July 2024~
In July 2024 prize news, the Prix de la Littérature Arabe announced their seven-book shortlist. Also in July, Arabic translator Nariman Youssef was named head of the Poetry Translation Centre and Arabic translator Elisabeth Jaquette was named head of Words Without Borders.
Fiction
An excerpt from A Long Walk From Gaza, by Palestinian writer Asmaa Alatawna, tr. Caline Nasrallah and Michelle Hartman
An excerpt from 15+, by Iraqi author Yaseen Ghaleb, tr. the author
An excerpt from Walk Don’t Walk, by Palestinian author Atef Abu Saif, tr. Alice Guthrie
“Today My Sight is Sharp,” by Palestinian author Yousri Alghoul, tr. Graham Liddell
“The Charcoal Garden,” by Egyptian author Mohamed al-Ashry, tr. Roger Allen
Poetry
“Another Light,” by Lebanese writer Wadih Saadeh, tr. Robin Moger
“Say,” by Palestinian poet Olivia Elias translated by Jérémy Victor Robert
“Love,” by Egyptian poet Ahmed Yamani, tr. Omar Ibrahim
“Man of Glass,” by Egyptian poet Kamal Abu Al-Nour, tr. Abdou Elrayess with Yasser Abdellatif
Reviews
‘Egypt + 100’: Fictions on the Future of Public Space
Listicles
Cat Tales: 9 Short Stories That Center Felines
Interviews
“On an Award-Winning Novel & the Unstable Literary Scene in Libya” – Olivia Snaije talks with Libyan novelist Mohammed Alnaas
~August 2024~
In August 2024, we remembered Ismail Al-Ghoul and Rami Al-Rifi, two journalists killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. Also, Iraqi writer Sabiha Shubbar and Naguib Mahfouz Medal novelist Somaya Ramadan both passed away. In prize news, the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature announced their six-book shortlist.
Fiction
“The Italian Doctor,” by Libyan author Mohamad Alarechya, tr. Azza Hasson
Comix & graphic novels
An excerpt from the Beirut trilogy, by Lebanese artist Barrack Zailaa Rima, tr. Carla Calargé and Alexandra Gueydan-Ture
Poetry
“For Ismail Al-Ghoul and Rami Al-Rifi,” by Palestinian poet Heba Al-Agha, tr. Julia Choucair Vizoso
“How Is Your Devastation Today?,” by Palestinian-American poet Fady Joudah
“The Moment,” by Palestinian poet Basman Eldirawi
“The Seagulls are the Gateway of the Sea,” by Palestinian poet Somaya Elsousi, tr. Ali Al-Jamri
Nonfiction
An excerpt from Forty, by Saudi writer Laila Aljohani, tr. Ghazal M. Alharbi
Listicles
14 Books by Arab Women for 2024’s Women in Translation Month
Interviews
Barrack Rima on Her Beirut Trilogy & Why Art Is (and Sometimes Isn’t) A Path to Liberation– A conversation with Layla Faraj
~September 2024~
In September 2024 prize news, we announced the 15 short-short stories that had been shortlisted for the Arabic Flash Fiction Prize, jointly run by ArabLit and Komet Kashakeel. We also announced the three winning stories. Meanwhile, translated work by Iman Mersal and Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi made ALTA longlists and three of ten works on the longlist for National Book Award for Translated Literature were translations from Arabic. Also, young poet Batool Abu Akleen was named Modern Poetry in Translation’s “poet in residence.” The great Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury died in September, as did beloved and iconic Sudanese poet Mohammed el-Makki.
Fiction
An excerpt from Silken Gazelles, by Jokha Alharthi, tr. Marilyn Booth
An excerpt from Samahani, by Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin, tr. Mayada Ibrahim and Adil Babikir
“Black & White,” by Rania Mamoun, tr. Nassir A-Sayeid Al-Nour
Poetry
“Her Scent,” by Palestinian poet Somaya Elsousi, tr. Ali Al-Jamri
“Amjad,” by Palestinian poet Nasser Rabah, tr. Wiam El-Tamami
“Home of Guidance and Light,” by Sudanese poet Mohammed el-Makki Ibrahim, tr. Adil Babikir
“Free Poems in the Autumn,” by Palestinian poet Heba Al-Agha, tr. Julia Choucair Vizoso
“A Sentence about Death,” by Palestinian poet Asmaa Dwaima, tr. ArabLit
“The Right Time,” by Palestinian poet Khaled Juma, tr. Zainab Al Qaisi
Nonfiction
A Look Back: Hussein El Sayyed’s ‘We Had Days,’ by Nisreen Sinjab
“‘To Keep That Wrongness’: Adania Shibli on Relating to Language in ‘Minor Detail’,” by Alex Tan
Interviews
Novelist Ibtisam Azem on Absence, Presence, and Disappearance – A conversation with Rahael Mathews
Jokha Alharthi on Her Latest Novel: ‘Humans Connect through Stories’ – A conversation with Layla Faraj
Amany Al-Sayyed on Her Father’s Lost—And Found—Novels
‘Voices from Nubia’: On a New Look at Nubian Literature in Egypt
Batool Abu Akleen: Poetry Is What Keeps Me Alive
On Translating ‘Samahani’: Stepping Outside the Colonial Gaze – A conversation with Mayada Ibrahim and Adil Babikir
~October 2024~
Among the Arabic literature released in English translation in October 2024 was: No One Knows Their Blood Type, by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat, translated by Hazem Jamjoum; Land of Sweetheart Deals, by translated by ; The River Knows My Name, by Mortada Gzar, translated by Luke Leafgren; and Arabian Hero: Oral Poetry and Narrative Lore from Northern Arabia, by Shāyiʿ al-Amsaḥ, edited and translated by Marcel Kurpershoek. In prize news, National Book Award Finalists included Fady Joudah, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, and two translations from Arabic; there was a new Arabic prize announced for debut novelists; and the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature announced their finalists.
We also co-published, with The Columbia Review, a special section of work by Ameer Hamad, “To the Students of Columbia University.”
Fiction
An excerpt from No One Knows Their Blood Type, by Palestinian author Maya Abu al-Hayyat, tr. Hazem Jamjoum
An excerpt from You Have Been Blocked, by Egyptian author Nawara Negm, tr. James Scanlan
“The Pussy,” by Syrian author Fadi Azzam, tr. Ghada Alatrash
“Mercy Killing,” by Syrian author Fadi Azzam, tr. Ghada Alatrash
“That Summer (ذلك الصّيف),” by Palestinian author Ameer Hamad, tr. Amine Bit
“The Blood of Angels,” by Egyptian author Ahmed Salah al-Mahdi, tr. the author
Poetry
“A Miracle,” by Palestinian poet Asmaa Dwaima, tr. Asmaa Dwaima and Nour Siksik
“We Will Lose This War,” by Samer Abu Hawwash, tr. Huda Fakhreddine
“Nine Moments in Gaza,” by Palestinian poet Samah Hasanain, tr. Enas Eltorky
“Galilo/le,” by Lebanese poet Samar Diab, tr. Zeina Hashem Beck
“The King’s Palace Near Jerusalem (قصر الملك قرب القدس)“, by Palestinian author Ameer Hamad, tr. Gabrielle Alvarez
“Jerusalem (قدس),” by Ameer Hamad, tr. Gabrielle Alvarez
“The Walls of the Holy City (أسوار البلدة المقدّسة),” by Ameer Hamad, tr. Gabrielle Alvarez
“The Mediterranean Sea (البحر المتوسّط),” by Ameer Hamad, tr. Gabrielle Alvarez
“A Night in Jericho (ليلٌ في اريحا),” by Ameer Hamad, tr. Gabrielle Alvarez
“The Dead Sea (البحر المّيت),” by Ameer Hamad, tr. Hoda Ali
“Penelope Wires (أسلاك بينيلوبي),” by Ameer Hamad, tr. Hoda Ali
“Hell (جحيم),” by Ameer Hamad, tr. Hoda Ali
“Far From My People and Their Enemies (بعيٌد عن أهلي وأعدائهم),” by Ameer Hamad, tr. Hoda Ali
‘Where I Write Now’: A Series with Writers in Gaza
Maryam Al Khateeb, tr. Wiam El-Tamami
Husam Maarouf, tr. Wiam El-Tamami
Mohammed al-Zaqzouq, tr. Wiam El-Tamami
Listicles
Understanding Medieval Morocco and Granada in 22 Reads
Interviews
In Conversation: The Possibilities for Doing ‘Right’ in 14th Century Morocco & Spain – A conversation with Egyptian novelist Mohamed Seif El Nasr
On the 2024 Palestinian Liberatory Book Fair
On Mohamed Choukri’s ‘Faces,’ Now Finally in English – A conversation with Jonas Elbousty
The Flash Fiction Questionnaire: With Finalist Basem Suleiman
Karim Kattan, Imagining Eden – A conversation with Olivia Snaije
~November 2024~
In November, we brought out And Still We Write: Recent work by Palestinian poets & actions you can take to stop genocide now, in collaboration with Publishers for Palestine. Other new Arabic works in English translation published in November 2024 included: Granada: The Complete Trilogy, by Radwa Ashour, tr. Kay Heikkinen; Children of the Ghetto: Star of the Sea, by Elias Khoury, translated by by Humphrey Davies; A Demon Spirit: Arabic Hunting Poems, by Abū Nuwās, edited and translated by James E. Montgomery; and by Najwan Darwish, tr. Kareem James Abu-Zeid. In prize news, Palestinian artist Taysir Batniji’s Disruptions won PhotoBook of the Year. #ReadPalestineWeek began at the end of November. Sudanese poet and playwright Hashim Siddig also died in November.
Fiction
“Valentine’s Day, During the Time of the War on Gaza,” by Eman Abdul Karim Mohammed Al-Natour, tr. M Lynx Qualey
“This Body Isn’t Mine,” by Jordanian author Ziad A. Mahafza, tr. Adil Babikir
“The Man with the Black Hat,” by Dr. Hassan Al-Qatrawi, tr. Elete Nelson-Fearon
Poetry
“Whispers,” by Sudanese poet Kamal Elgizouli, tr. Adil Babakir
“The Future of Gaza,” by Palestinian poet Basman Eldirawi
“The Scissors,” by Syrian poet Golan Haji, tr. Marilyn Hacker
“A Scene at Rafah’s Beach,” by Palestinian poet Shaimaa Abulebda
“Behind the Veil,” by Palestinian poet Tamer Kuhial, tr. Oumeima Mouelhi
Nonfiction
“I Don’t Want to Forget Who I Am,” by Palestinian author Mahmoud Al-Shaer, ed. Wiam El-Tamami
“Part II, I Don’t Want to Forget Who I Am,” by Palestinian author Mahmoud Al-Shaer, ed. Wiam El-Tamami
Interviews
‘Daybreak in Gaza’ – A conversation between Olivia Snaije and Matthew Teller
The Flash Fiction Questionnaire: With Finalist Nasser Rabah
The Flash Fiction Questionnaire: With Finalist Azza Abdulnawar
‘My Great Arab Melancholy’: A Talk with Lamia Ziadé and Emma Ramadan – In conversation with Tugrul Mende
The Flash Fiction Questionnaire: With Finalist Hamza Dhahbi
The Flash Fiction Questionnaire: With Finalist Loqman Hussain
~December 2024~
New Arabic literature in translation in December 2024 included: Sand-Catcher, by Omar Khalifah, tr. Barbara Romaine; A Horse at the Door, by Wadih Saadeh, ed. & tr. Robin Moger; Arabic, between Love and War, ed. Norah Alkharashi & Yasmine Haj; and Journals of Salt: Tunisian Women’s Writings on Experiences of Political Imprisonment, ed. Haifa Zangana and translated by Katharine Halls and Nariman Yousef. In prize news, the Banipal announced their six-book shortlist, 2024 IPA Prix Voltaire went to Gaza-based publisher Samir Mansour, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award announce their literary longlists, and the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature announced their winner.
Fiction
An excerpt from Sand-Catcher, by Palestinian author Omar Khalifah, tr. Barbara Romaine
An excerpt from Huddud’s House, by Syrian author Fadi Azzam, tr. Ghada Alatrash
“A Bird with a Broken Wing,” by Imad Saad, tr. Mandy McClure
Poetry
“Orange Death,” by Ramzi Salem, tr. M Lynx Qualey
“End of Year Sale,” by Basman Eldirawi, tr. M Lynx Qualey
“When It Rains Blood,” by Reem Sleem
Nonfiction
“Seven Moments in Gaza,” by Samah Hasanain, tr. Enas Eltorky
Interviews
The Flash Fiction Questionnaire: Winning Author Karima Ahdad
Writing to Survive: Extending the Discussion with Gazan Poets – Conversations with Nashwa Nasreldin
Flash Fiction Questionnaire: With Haidara Assad
Authors, Scholars, and Translators Look Back: On Radwa Ashour’s ‘Granada’ – Conversations with Tugrul Mende
Flash Fiction Questionnaire: With Laila Hashemi
Listicles
A Look Back: Arabic Literature Published in Translation in 2024
January 17, 2025 @ 2:08 pm
Excellent work, Arablit, thank you!!