This May 2022, we launch our third “In Focus” section. For our “New & Inventive Voices” feature, we asked a number of Sudanese writers to put together a list of their highlights from among recent books, and for “Women Recommend: Sudanese Women Writers,” women writers give an overview of the landscape as well as their favorites by other women. We also have new fiction and poetry in translation, as well as interviews, essays, art, and more. Explore more special features below, with more from our archives on the left.
As part of our special “In Focus: Sudan” section, three Sudanese writers put together a list of their highlights from recent Sudanese literature. We asked: If you were to choose 4-7 titles that would represent, to you, the most interesting books (perhaps experimental, challenging, or influential in some way) written by Sudanese writers in the last 10 years, what would they be? And (perhaps more importantly) why? Mansour El Souwaim صقر الجديان (The Secretary Bird), ...
For Sudanese readers living through the current crisis, the following lines by the late Mohammed el-Makkī Ibrahim resonate with striking immediacy, even though they were written in the 1980s. Beneath the layers of grief, a restrained optimism continues to breathe through its lines ...
Introduced and translated by Adil Babikir “I was always fascinated by the river from my very early childhood”, Tayeb Salih once said. “And I think I somewhat understood what the river is trying to say.” That comes as no surprise. For all those who live in northern Sudanese villages by the Nile, the river has always had an overwhelming presence in all aspects of life there. That influence naturally found its way to Salih’s fiction. In Bandarshah, the river comes out as a mythological creature patiently whispering into the ears of the bank, which does not seem to understand what the river is saying. In the same novel, the river tosses out a stranger to the village, who eventually becomes ...
The Echoes of Struggle and Resilience: Sudanese Bid Farewell to Mohammad Al-Amin, Musical Maestro and Emotional Virtuoso By Lemya Shammat Born on February 20, 1943, in the heart of Wad Medani in Gezira State, Mohammad Al-Amin embarked on his musical journey under the tutelage of his uncle. He died November 12, 2023. Mastering the flute during his teenage years and later venturing into the oud, his path in music took a fateful turn when he crossed paths with a music professor during primary school. And while he faced serious health challenges and visual impairments, Al-Amin's early education in music served as the bedrock for his impressive future contributions. Mohammad Al-Amin's legacy in the world of art extends far beyond Sudan, ...
Over at Kotobli, they have posted a new list; this time, of Sudanese novels through time. The list was curated by Sudanese-American writer Razan Idris ...
