From Kawther Al-Jahmi’s ‘A Son of the Country’
The novel poses a question about identity: Is it a piece of paper, or a sense of belonging?
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Posts by Marcia Lynx Qualey:
New on BULAQ: Writing from Amman
This new episode of the BULAQ podcast explores Jordanian literature and writing about the city of Amman with Ibtihal Reda Mahmood, editor and translator of the anthology Snow in Amman: An Anthology of Short Stories from Jordan.
Liblib Publishing Wins Beyond Literature Borders Grant
Liblib’s project, called “It’s Our Art Too! — Rehla” will happen between London and Cairo, in cooperation with the built environment collective Megawra.
‘He Dies for As Long As Possible’
This short piece appeared, in a slightly different form, in the SONG issue of ArabLit Quarterly in the Spring of 2021.
‘The Desert Also Keened’
Ibrahim al-Koni’s “The Desert Also Keened” was the winner of the 2023 ArabLit Story Prize in Dima El Mouallem’s translation.
Kawthar Al-Jahmi’s Journey: From ‘Bint Tripoli’ to Award-winning Novelist
Today, Kawthar al-Jahmi talks about her writing and reading journeys, the role of literary prizes, submitting her novel to the publisher a day before giving birth, and developing a writing practice while working and raising children.
From Najwa Bin Shatwan’s ‘Tree of Soap’
Libyan writer Najwa Binshatwan’s latest novel, شجرة الصابون (Tree of Soap, Dar Arab 2026) unfolds with her signature sarcastic-surrealism. In this world, the State encourages citizens to express themselves, ensures their participation, and provides them everything necessary to practice democracy. Nothing is forced, exactly; it’s just that absence is unwelcome and silence requires explanation.
From Charles Akl’s ‘Red Like Orange’
“Before singer-songwriter Yousra Hawwari, who made great use of the accordion, it was nobody’s favorite instrument despite being widely used. Perhaps it earned a kind of universal dislike precisely because it was overused in Egyptian songs from the 1990s, songs from other Arab countries that imitated Egyptian songs, and Turkish songs that either plagiarized Egyptian ones or vice versa.”
Words, Music, and Translating ‘Red Like Orange’
This month, Hoopoe Fiction (an imprint of AUC Press) publishes Charles Akl’s debut novel Red Like Orange, which won a 2023 Sawiris Cultural Award. Now, three years later, Sarah Enany’s translation of this novel is available to a new readership.