The Arabic ‘Antarah’ Comic: ‘An Experiment Worthy of Praise’
“I was also very impressed by the poems of Antarah ibn Shaddad chosen for the events of the story; some of my favourite verses were in there.”
News
A Cult Classic: Ahmed Bouanani Day in NYC and DC
“Today, Bouanani’s English-language publisher, New Directions, is celebrating the two books with simultaneous launch events in NYC and DC.”
Sunday Submissions: Arabic Lit-related ACLA Seminars
Abstracts must be received by Thursday, September 20, 2018 at 9 a.m. EST.
Breaking with a Tradition of Tragedy: Ahmed Gasmia and Positive Endings
“Gasmia’s fiction is not only humourous, his stories are positive and end well. Among this sea of darkness, finding a good ending is so exciting I have to say this again: Algerian stories can and do end well.”
Ahmed al-Mahdi: On Writing Young-adult Literature in Egypt
“Teens in Egypt do not have many choices; most publishers tend to focus more on children’s books or adult books, and some of them don’t even acknowledge the category of Young Adults; that’s why it’s hard to publish novels in this category in Egypt.”
Meet: Arab Women Writers at 2018 Iowa International Writing Program
This year, because it’s Women in Translation Month (#WiTMonth), we highlight the Arab women coming to IWP from Jordan, the UAE, and Germany, as well as an Israeli woman writer of Moroccan heritage.
10 Books: Influential Arabic Nonfiction by Women, 15th C-Present
Although Arab women’s novels are (sometimes) celebrated in English translation, their nonfiction contributions are largely overlooked.
#WiTMonth Picks: 5 of Novelist Donia Kamel’s Favorites
Egyptian novelist Donia Kamel — whose charming Cigarette Number Seven recently came out in Nariman Youssef’s equally charming translation — shares five of her favorite books by Arab women for Women in Translation Month.
Translate This! Khadija Marouazi’s ‘Biography of Ash’
“There, where my body seemed to lay a great distance from me, I put my hand on my leg, on my fingers, and I couldn’t tell they were mine. My thighs. My legs. My waist. Everything was dry and withered.”