Poetry

Abdo Khal began his life in a small farming village in southern Saudi Arabia. It was after his father died that he moved to Jeddah. Later, his mother sent him […]

When the list of IPAF (or “Arabic Booker”) nominees was released Dec. 15, several reporters noted that “Mansoura Ez-eldin is the only female nominee.” This is certainly true–and it’s something […]

Two new works of Iraqi lit—one a collection of poetry, one a book of short stories—have come out this fall from small indie presses in the U.K. (There’s also a […]

I came across this somewhat strange headline in Bikya Masr. Certainly, five or ten years ago I would have cheered it—oorah, more Darwish in English! But, these days, poet-translator Fady […]

Google is such a strange thing: You can find out about Allen’s 2010 summer seminar through a letter to his colleagues.  Allen has been in the Arab-lit field since the […]

Fiction Cairo Swan Song, Mekkawi Said. This book was shortlisted for the Arabic Booker in 2007-2008; Said has said in part because of a blog campaign for the book. I […]

My interest in Arabic literature follows my interest in all literature: it’s artistic, it’s sympathetic, it’s aesthetic. My ideal book could be Sonallah Ibrahim’s (Egyptian) Stealth, could be W.G. Sebald’s […]