New Short Fiction from Libya: ‘The Italian Doctor’
The Italian Doctor By Mohamad Alarechya Translated by Azza Hasson “I failed to cut my nails today, my hand wouldn’t move, and I was out of cigarettes. I couldn’t stand […]
Libya
On an Award-Winning Novel & the Unstable Literary Scene in Libya
By Olivia Snaije When the Libyan writer Mohammed Alnaas won the 2022 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) for his debut novel Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table (Meskliniai Publishers & […]
On Translating a Novel of ‘Profound Gentleness in a Violent Milieu’
By Olivia Snaije Libyan novelist Mohammed Alnaas recently visited France for the launch of his award-winning debut novel’s French translation: Du pain sur la table d’oncle Milad (خبز على طاولة […]
9 Short Texts by Libyan Women, in Translation
This week’s list — of short works by Libyan women writers — couldn’t focus solely on short stories in translation, or even on excerpts of prose. This week, we’ve also included two poems.
Sunday Submissions: Libyan Wanderer
Malak al-Taeb has opened up calls for submissions to her blog ‘Libyan Wanderer’.
Kneading Words: Mohammed Alnaas on Bread, Writing, and the Stuff of Language
“With time, I came to the conclusion that bread-baking as a creative act resembles the art of writing in many ways that might not be obvious to the untrained eye. And that the similarities become clearer with practice, and by persevering with the act of creation and creativity.”
New Fiction in Translation: Azza Maghur’s ‘Mowgli and Shere Khan’
It’s not a jungle, it’s a city, but not any city, it’s the capital. He’s not “Mowgli”—his name is Ihab. As for “Shere Khan,” he’s nothing but an animal. This story takes place in Tripoli. As I write it, I won’t be telling you about the Tripoli that I’ve lived in for half a century; I’ll tell you stories about the war that’s devouring it.
Winner of 2019 ArabLit Story Prize: ‘The Sharp Bend at Al-Bakur’
“The story suggests that the innocent dead were sacrificed for the vanity of those in power and those who seek it.”
‘A Giant Multi-room Museum Piece’: Ibrahim al-Koni’s ‘The Fetishists’
“Yet if al-Koniʹs shorter ‘Bleeding of the Stone’ and ‘Gold Dust’ are small paintings you can hang on a living-room wall, then The Fetishists is a giant multi-room museum piece.”