Happy Birthday, Naguib Mahfouz
This evening, the 17th Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature will be awarded on this, the 102nd anniversary of his birth. Until then, have some cake, read a little, enjoy the party.
News
The Bamboo Stalk: Exploring Kuwaiti Society and ‘The Double Absence’
Caterina Pinto reviews The Bamboo Stalk, the 2013 International Prize for Arabic Fiction winner and novel where everything is double.
New for Winter 2013: Arabic Poetry and Prose Online
There are several new Arabic literary works that have appeared online (in translation) in the last month.
Memoirs by Women ‘Who Did Not Leave the Region Permanently’
A few days ago, I saw a tweet from @drawmedy saying, “Trying to find memoirs written by women from ME region who *did not leave the region permanently.* Suggestions? @arablit? Saadawi and…?
Arabic Literature, Spanish Readers
Continuing our series of Arabic Literature, World Readers — which kicked off with a discussion between ArabLit and Richard Jacquemond about French readerships — Gonzalo Fernández Parrilla answers some questions about Arabic literature and Spanish readers.
New Paris-based Publishing House, Checkpointed Publishing, Calls for Manuscripts
Farah Abdessamad recently launched a Paris-based publishing house that specializes in fiction and non-fiction dealing with armed conflicts and fragile settings. The house, Editions Checkpointed, is looking for manuscripts in English and French. Abdessamad answered a few questions about the enterprise.
Writers, Artist Protest Israel’s ‘Guest of Honor’ Spot at Guadalajara International Book Fair
The “guest of honor” spot at book fairs is often controversial — in 2009, China’s honorary status at the Frankfurt Book Fair raised hackles and eyebrows, as did Saudi Arabia at Book World Prague in 2011. What does it mean to have a country “honored” at a fair?
Kuwait Book Fair: Practically No Books Banned This Year, More or Less, Censor Says
The 2013 Kuwait International Book Fair (Nov 20-30) ends tomorrow. This year, there have been a number of award-winning authors on hand: Most notably Saud al-Sanousi, who won this year’s International Prize for Arabic Fiction for his The Bamboo Stalk, top-105er Fahd Ismail Fahd, and Nada Faris, who was one of this year’s Iowa International Writing Program participants. But there remains the question of what’s available at the fair.
Medieval Biography of Ibn Hanbal: Grotesque?
“A full time scholar has had the chance to develop a taste for” medieval biography with its medieval point of view, “but most readers would find it grotesque. … I doubt it would interest any but specialists.”