From Fatma Qandil’s ‘Empty Cages’
It’s publication day for Fatima Qandil’s raw, tenderly crafted novel Empty Cages, translated to English by Adam Talib. In this excerpt, we get a glimpse of the narrator’s relationship with her mother.
Adam Talib
On Liberation as Writing Technique
Today, we share Fatma Qandil and Adam Talib’s wide-ranging discussion with Tugrul Mende, which touches on: the method behind Qandil’s writing, standing on the shoulders of other women writers, why this book was a challenge to translate, and the joy of being read by a younger generation.
Forthcoming May 2025: Award-winning Novels, Cordoban Invective, & Syrian Short Fiction
Arabic works newly out in translation in May 2025 include two award-winning, a work of eleventh-century invective (and fourteenth-century explication), and Syrian short fiction.
Global Arabic Humanities – Sheikh Zayed Book Award
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award and SOAS are organising an event on “Global Arabic Humanities” featuring Dr. Muhsin J. Al-Musawi, Adam Talib, and Prof. Xue Qingguo, moderated by Prof. Wen-chin Ouyang.
February Translation Challenge Results: ‘Cruel and Barbarous, Blood-curdling and Gut-wrenching’
“Literary translators cannot also be experts in the history of taxation so we often have to consult with academic experts when we work on texts like this. You know it already, but I’ll reiterate: collaboration is fundamental.”