Celebrating Banned Books Week in Egypt and Beyond
This is the start of the U.S.-based “Banned Books Week,” a week that highlights the benefits of free access to books and the harm that comes from censorship. Although “Banned […]
News
New Next Month in Translation: Novels from Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria
I look forward to getting copies of all these books soon, and to talking with Robin Moger, Max Weiss, Adam Talib, and Chip Rossetti about the translations. Vertigo By Ahmed […]
The Author is Not a Cultural Ambassador
It was only when novelist Randa Jarrar tweeted out a few short sentences in response to the New York Times Book Review that I realized how much I dislike the term “literary ambassador.”
One Minute with Co-Curator of the Bilingual Arabic-English Cultural Magazine ‘Shahadat’
I thought the ArteEast story series “Shahadat,” which currently features two stories by Ma’n Abu Taleb, was rather new. (Wrong.) Anyhow, in the process of clarifying, I learned a few things […]
7 Books: Literary Responses to Sabra and Shatila
Thanks to author Mansoura Ezz Eldin for reminding me that this week marks the 29th anniversary of the horrific slaughter at Sabra and Shatila.
A Do-it-yourself Course in Arabic Lit
Of course, my first response was that the scope was a bit on the broad side. Such a project might take a lifetime or two.
Remembering Ustaz Khairy
As translator Adam Talib remarked yesterday, we can be happy that author Khairy Shalaby got to see the incipient changes in Egypt, “but it’s a shame that his wry voice won’t be there to accompany this new phase in Egyptian history.”
Egyptian Novelist Khairy Shalaby Dies at 73
Egyptian novelist Khairy Shalaby, whose work had just begun to gain attention in English, died this morning. He was 73. According to news reports, Shalaby was not suffering from any […]
20 More ‘Rules’: Becka McKay on Teaching Translation and Petra Dünges on Translating Picture Books
Becka Mara McKay teaches translation and creative writing at Florida Atlantic University. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington and an MFA in literary translation […]