“My mom wrote the novel [in the early eighties], and back then I refused to let her publish it, as I didn’t want to hear about it.”
Read moreFrom ALQ: Muhammad Zafzaf’s ‘Borges in the Hereafter’
“But, Mr. President,” Borges cut in, “we’re already dead.”
Read moreCall for Submissions: ALQ’s Fall 2022 Issue
ALQ’s Fall 2022 issue with a focus on WEDDINGS is open for submissions until August 7.
Read moreFrom ALQ: ‘How Moroccans Laugh’
“Jokes are the salt of social life.”
Read moreOnline Extra: Arabic & English from ‘Solace for the Traveler and Entertainment for the Conversationalist’
“Such compilations were common. At a time when people could not entertain themselves with TV and thumb-wrecking scrolling on myriad social media platforms, compilations kept them company. These works tended to be written in small notebooks easy to carry in one’s pocket or satchel.”
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IN ON THE JOKE: The Launch of the Summer 2022 Issue of ArabLit Quarterly
Today we’re launching the Summer 2022 JOKE themed issue of ArabLit Quarterly, guest edited by Anam Zafar.
Read moreNew Short Fiction: Mariam Qahtani’s ‘Heavensent Huriyya’
“Suspicion’s bite trailed her gaze as the lazy air played across her vision. She straightened her back as she inspected the grim and miserable faces before her. For those who watched, her matted hair, ragged clothes, and very long fingernails foretold no good will.”
Read moreFiction in Translation: ‘The Baffling Case of the Man Called Ahmet Yilmaz’
“Ahmet felt his face flush. He picked up his passport and stalked off through the crowds in Atatürk Airport, jerking his suitcase violently behind him. It was the first time he’d been embarrassed by his Turkish name, the one he’d chosen when he turned 30, after living in Turkey for six years.”
Read moreFrom the ‘Mirrors’ Issue: Hilal Badr’s ‘Ash-sha’b Yurid Isqat an-Nizam’
A shout awakens me; someone is yelling, “Ash-sha’b yurid isqat an-nizam [The People want to bring down the regime].” Does anyone believe this? I don’t.
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