AJ Naddaff

Kareem James Abu-Zeid: Making Imru al-Qays Sing and Soar

By AJ Naddaff It’s been quite the hiatus since my last piece — but I’m pleased to return with three great interviews featuring important actors in the Arabic to English translation scene. First up is award-winning translator of poets and novelists Kareem James Abu-Zeid. Among his most recent accolades isContinue Reading

Huda Fakhreddine: A Translator Must Have Something To Say About the Text

“Translation is first and foremost a critical reading. It must be motivated by having something to say about the text—not just transfer it from one language to another, which is impossible anyway.”Continue Reading

Rewriting National History from a Personal Perspective: Hiyem Cheurfa on Arab Women’s Life Writing
This March, Hiyem Cheurfa’s new book Contemporary Arab Women’s Life Writing and the Politics of Resistance appeared as part of Edinburgh Studies in Modern Arabic Literature series. In it, Cheurfa takes us on a journey through a number of women’s memoirs, written in the context of twenty-first century uprisings. In this conversation, the author talks about the challenges and the difficulties of writing this book and how the texts she studied changed her life.
Lit & Found: ‘Sudanese Novels Through Time’
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.
Najwa Barakat’s ‘Mister N’ Shortlisted for 2023 EBRD Literature Prize
Today, organizers announced the ten-book shortlist of translated literature for the 2023 EBRD Literature Prize.
Iman Mersal & Robyn Creswell Make 2023 Griffin Poetry Prize Longlist with ‘The Threshold’
Organizers of the Griffin Poetry Prize — one of the world’s biggest international poetry prizes — have announced this year’s ten-book longlist. Among them was Egyptian poet Iman Mersal’s The Threshold, beautifully translated by Robyn Creswell.