On Iraqi Poetry
For the next few months, ArabLit will be running a series of interviews and essays on Iraqi poetry: with poets, critics, translators, and others. August 1: Basim al-Ansar: ‘Poetry Is […]
Country Focus
‘Silence for the Sake of Gaza,’ Mahmoud Darwish
Ibrahim Muhawi’s translation of Journal of an Ordinary Grief (Ar: 1973, Eng: 2010) is dedicated to the people of Gaza. This is from the section “Silence for the Sake of Gaza”:
Sudanese poet Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi on Creativity, Politics, and Translation
En Liang Khong recently talked to Sudanese poet Al-Saddiq al-Raddi for the New Statesman; al-Raddi was recently fired as cultural editor of al-Sudani because of his politics. But, he told the NS: “…that won’t stop me from speaking my mind.”
15 Moroccan Poets on ‘Big Bridge’
Last night, Big Bridge editor Michael Rothenberg sent me a note that said, “this is the beginning of a more complete anthology.”
Hisham Matar: On the Novelist and Dictatorship
Libyan creative writer Hisham Matar writes as if he dreams; no detail is without a symbol or an emotional function.
Politics and Poetry in Yemen
Yet poetry, in its various forms, plays an important role in Yemeni society.
Literatures of the Sudan: North and South
Recently, I’ve been trying to educate myself about literature from the Sudan(s). After all, her historic vote is just one small piece of the Sudan’s rich cultural history.
A Celebration of Ibrahim al-Koni, the Desert, Russian Literature, and ‘Swiss Sufism’
Encouraged by translator/scholar/writer Elliott Colla—who had an interesting short essay about Ibrahim al-Koni in yesterday’s Ahram Online—I thought we’d make this an al-Koni week. Although not an “Arab” writer, al-Koni is one of the giants of contemporary Arabic literature, and has a unique and world-encompassing literary vision.
Must-Read Palestinian Literature
This list is probably not for those looking to “understand” Palestine (or today’s aggression against a humanitarian-aid flotilla), but for those who want to celebrate or appreciate Palestinian arts, or […]