Egyptian Author Omar Hazek: ‘If I Die, Don’t Bury Me’
Zahraa Abdel Aziz has translated Egyptian poet and novelist Omar Hazek’s most recent, moving letter from prison, dated May 1.
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My Censorship, Your Bigotry
“So I’m on the podium. Marcia has handed me the mike, and my thousands-strong and well-informed American audience is rapt.” Youssef Rakha on the narrowing of discourse.
No Justice for Egyptian Author Karam Saber; 5-Year Sentence Confirmed
On Thursday, an appeals court in Beni Suef upheld a five-year sentence for Karam Saber, the author convicted on charges of contempt of religion for his short-story collection Where is God.
New Film on Mahmoud Darwish Tells Story of the Poet and ‘Rita’
The new film “Write Down, I Am an Arab” promises to tell the story of Mahmoud Darwish’s love affair with Tamar Ben-Ami, the young Jewish woman the poet apparently fell for when he was 22.
What Does the Blossoming of Literature Festivals Mean for Arabic Books (in Translation)?
‘Tis the season for summer lit festivals and, last Friday, the Financial Times looked at “The Economics of Book Festivals.” With bookshops (in Western countries) on the decline, and quality book reviews falling away (or becoming harder to find), what’s to give a reader of Arabic literature in translation hope? Is it the blossoming of literature festivals?
‘Bacchus in a Mosque’: Two Reviews of Mohammed Achaari’s IPAF-winning ‘The Arch and the Butterfly’
Al-Mustafa Najjar and M. Lynx Qualey co-review Mohammed Achaari’s “The Arch and the Butterfly,” co-winner of the 2011 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF). While one trend among IPAF judges seems to reward “page-turner” novels, this is not among them.
In Tripoli, Lebanon, Funding a Space for Book-lovers
The books and readers of Tripoli, Lebanon saw difficult times this winter, with the burning of the historic Al-Sa’eh bookshop. But the city came to the aid of its biggest bookshop, and now Najwa Sahmarani has galvanized a group to to fund a new “Alkindy” literary and cultural space, named for the ninth-century Iraqi philosopher.
June 2014: Global Arabic Literary Events Calendar
Major events include the Palestine Festival of Literature (through June 5) and the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, June 7-15.
Which Book Should Represent Algeria in ‘World Cup of Literature’?
Three Percent is hosting a “World Cup of Literature” pitting “all of the World Cup qualifying countries…against one another in a battle for world literature supremacy. (At least until the next […]