The event, "Poems to Live for: Session 6," is supported by the Hippocrates Initiative for Poetry and Medicine.
Yamen Hussein: ‘You Will Always Have This Role of the Victim’
"Thomas Mann was a refugee, but we don't remember him as a “German writer” or a “refugee writer.” The classification is problematic. Unfortunately, when you are under these organizations, there is not much space for criticism of this label. We need to be more unified when making these critiques."
‘The Dangers of Poetry’: Translating Poetry to History
"Poetry brought a certain degree of cultural legitimacy to politicians, who simultaneously cultivated the support of prominent poets and feared the repercussions of their failure to do so."
Friday Finds: Ines Abassi’s ‘The Key’
"The last key I carried /dangles alone on the key rack / like a corpse at the gallows"
Monday Poem: ‘Even Those Who — Temporarily — Survived’
"and they wished away the rest of her generation, tomorrow / and, after tomorrow, all those who thought / —just thought— / of praying for her"
Sunday Submissions: The 2020-21 BCLA/BCLT John Dryden Translation Competition
The first prize is £350, second prize is £200, third prize is £100, and other entries may receive commendations.
New in Translation: ‘Song of Myself’ by Ghareeb Iskander
"There are silent voices inside me. / I will free them now / I will free also / The letters of love words / Suffocated in my mouth."
Friday Finds: Saniya Saleh’s ‘Autumn of Freedom’
"Beirut / I dreamed you were invaded / and awoke to the noise of destruction"
Trading Misery for Death: The Tragic Death of a Sudanese Poet
“Let me hold you to my breast, / I have plenty of room. / Let me wash the dirt of misery off your soul.”
Women Writing in Arabic: 10 Poets to Read Now
"There is very little Arabic poetry by women translated to English; for Women in Translation Month (#WiTMonth), we offer a brief look at ten poets. Of the women writers listed -- an eclectic list of personal favorites and by no means canon -- only one, Iman Mersal, has a collection traditionally published in English translation"
#WiTMonth Friday Finds: Rachida Madani in English and Arabic
"But men / but the wind push her out on the cliff. / She watches the ocean / she would like to hurl herself into the ocean / to drink up the ocean."
New Bilingual ‘Barjeel Poetry Prize’ Launches Today
The Barjeel Art Foundation today launches the Barjeel Poetry Prize, an international two-language ekphrastic poetry competition that invites writers to respond to twenty works of Arab art from the 20th century.
