#WiTMonth Bulaq: ‘The Frightened Ones’
The Frightened Ones was shortlisted for the 2018 International Prize for Arabic Fiction; its English translation came out in the UK in April and was published in the US last week.
WiTMonth
Friday Finds: Saniya Saleh’s ‘Autumn of Freedom’
“Beirut / I dreamed you were invaded / and awoke to the noise of destruction”
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”
#TranslateThis: ‘Camelia’s Ghosts’ and ‘And the Family Devoured Its Men’
In this psychologically astute, page-turning novel, the reader must root for Camelia. But they also can’t help but understand the other characters, too.
#WiTMonth Conversations: Poet Dunya Mikhail on Her Debut Novel, ‘The Bird Tattoo’
“I was not sure about how good or bad of an idea it was to publish my book (the Arabic original at least) during this pandemic time, but I thought: What about the babies who will be delivered now? I know timing a book is easier than timing a life, but we can never guarantee what happens later; there’s always risk no matter what we do.”
Sunday Classics: Samira Azzam, Whose ‘Relative Obscurity Today Is a Grave Injustice’
“I would love for her entire corpus to be translated, particularly given that what little has been so far is highly unrepresentative of her overall body of literature.”
#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.”
Three to Read: Maghrebi Women Writing in Dutch
For Women in Translation Month (#WiTMonth), we focus on three Maghrebi women writing in Dutch.
#WiTMonth’s Translate This: Hadiya Hussein’s ‘What Will Come’
“You’ll find something that looks like a boulder, but it’s not—it’s cork, painted so that it resembles rock. Push it aside and go out. A few meters away you’ll find someone who’ll look after you.”