"Humor and violence were walking side-by-side in my neighborhood."
5 Reads: The DNA of Palestinian Political Comedy
Fools, cowards, separation walls, hate crimes, and romance: Palestinian Political Comedy.
Friday Finds: 1926-33 Archives of Humor Mag ‘Al-Fukaha’
The University of Bonn has posted eight years of archives of the humor magazine al-Fukaha, published in Egypt by Dar al-Hilal.
Bulaq 17: A Talk with Karl ReMarks
ReMarks’ new book, "And then God Created the Middle East and Said ‘Let There Be Breaking News’" is forthcoming July 9.
Meme-Makers, Puzzle Poems, and the Great Unwashed: Humphrey Davies on ‘Brains Confounded’ and ‘Risible Rhymes’
"I will admit to a hope, though: that they are the tip of an iceberg, and that more such works will be discovered in due course. That’s the more interesting scenario."
Fouad Laroui and Emma Ramadan on How To Keep ‘Dassoukine’s Trousers’ Funny in English
"My uncle, the famous historian Abdallah Laroui, once told my French publisher: 'My nephew’s style is ironic and humorous. I have no idea where it comes from: we Laroui’s are renowned for our lack of humor.'"
‘Why Not Use This Sense of Humor in an Artistic Work?’
Egyptian novelist Nael Eltoukhy, author of the grittily witty Women of Karantina, recently appeared at a launch event for the English translation of his novel.
A List: The ‘Funny, Uplifting’ Arabic Novels in Translation
A reader in Washington, D.C. said that a number of her students have asked where the funny, uplifting Arabic novels are in translation.
When Is Revolution Untranslatable? When It’s Fast and Funny
Dr. Mona Elnamoury attended the Eleventh Cairo International Symposium: on “Creativity and the Revolution” and shared her observations about the translatability of the funny bone. By Mona Elnamoury If the Egyptians are known for one thing, regionally, it's for their humor. The Egyptian is ibn nukta (the son of a joke) and dammu zayy il ‘asal (his blood … Continue reading When Is Revolution Untranslatable? When It’s Fast and Funny
Will Egyptian Satirist Belal Fadl Be Funny in English?
The United States has perhaps the most lucrative humor-production industry worldwide, "translateable" by virtue of US dominance. The world is ready to laugh at a funny George Bush/Lady Gaga quip while not necessarily being ready to catch a fastball about Danilo Türk. But can Egyptian humor -- which of course is light years funnier than the top-selling American brands -- be rendered in English?
Can Egyptian Humor Be Translated?
I wrote a bit about the difficulty of translating humor last week; the idea seemed worth pursuing, so I followed that with an essay for Al Masry Al Youm. One of the most obvious differences in the books I looked at was whether or not authors chose to use footnotes.
When Translating Jokes, Is It Important to Make the Reader Laugh?
During the discussion portion of the "Al Thawra al Daahika" talk yesterday, translator Humphrey Davies asked presenters: Would you, then, sacrifice any laughter in the reader?
