Summer 2019: 9 New Books to Take to the Beach (or Balcony)
This year, I’ve focused on short stories, humor, a bit of sex, and fast-paced romance.
News
Writing Under the Curfew: Amr Shaarawi Talks to Yasmine Motawy
“I find writing to be a game; it’s like a puzzle made of characters, words, and plot that I play with.”
Forthcoming: Translation of Memoir by ‘Aladdin’-teller Hanna Diyab
An English translation of Hanna Diyab’s travel-memoir, by Elias Muhanna and Johannes Stephan, is expected to come out in 2020 from the Library of Arabic Literature.
Friday Finds: Huda Hamed’s ‘Things Are Not in Their Place’
Her ‘Things Are Not in Their Place’ (2009) won both the Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity and Best Omani Publication of 2009.
The ‘1001 Nights’ Outclassed: The 10th-century Stories of Tanūkhī
“I think Tanūkhī’s stories outclass the Nightsin every way, and unlike Shahrazad, he doesn’t go on and on. His plots are brisk and varied, even though in Deliverance Follows Adversity all the stories are about someone, usually someone just like you or me, getting into some sort of tight spot in one of their less bright moments, and coming out gratefully on the other side[.]”
Mansoura Ez Eldin: If Criticism’s Integrity Is Lost, It ‘Does More Harm Than Good’
“In an ideal world, literary criticism is very important, no less important than creative writing.”
Bulaq Episode 32: Work-lit Balance
What are you willing (and not willing) to do for free?
12 (Auto)biographical Narratives by Algerian Women
“A common and conspicuous theme across the suggested texts below is that they are either set within or draw heavily from the national struggle against French colonial rule and its lingering aftermath in Algeria.”
Sunday Submissions: Essays Introducing Writers Unknown in English
“Submissions should not consist of reviews of any one title by the chosen subject; instead they should offer a survey of the writer’s distinctive oeuvre with an eye to piquing the interest of our readers.”