Life is More Beautiful than Paradise

International Prize for Arabic Fiction Longlist Profiles: Khaled al-Berry

There’s a lot in the public domain about our friend Khaled al-Berry, as his memoir of his adolescent years—Life is More Beautiful than Paradise—is available both in Arabic and in English (translated by Humphrey Davies).Continue Reading

All Right, I Give in, Novels about Football (Soccer)

Everyone seems to be publishing lists of their must-read, English-language books about football (or soccer, where the lists are American). After all, we English speakers do seem to be terribly fond of lists. Books that are list regulars are Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch and Joe McGinniss’ The Miracle of CastelContinue Reading

My Former Jihadist Friend Signs Copies of His New Epic Novel

Last night, author Khaled al-Berry defied World Cup mania and celebrated the launch of his new novel, رقصة شرقية (Middle Eastern Dance) at Kotob Khan in New Ma’adi. The book, which just came out from Dar Al Ain, opens in 1997 as the three male leads are out (separately) buyingContinue Reading

Cover Reveal and Launch Event for Mona Kareem’s ‘I Will Not Fold These Maps’
On Sunday, May 14, ArabLit and the Poetry Translation Centre will co-host a launch event for Mona Kareem’s collection I Will Not Fold These Maps, translated to English by Sara Elkamel.
Encounters Between Languages: Nancy Roberts on Translating Ibrahim al-Koni’s ‘The Night Will Have Its Say’
“I was aware from the very start of the novel that one of its themes would be language, translation, and encounters between languages. This was one of the things that drew me to it, including the amusing and lyrical way the author describes the opening encounter between al-Kahina and the envoy sent by the Muslim general Hasan Ibn al-Nuꜥman.”
A Look at Hamdi Abu Golayyel, Bedouin Poetry, and ‘The Men Who Swallowed the Sun’
Translator Ibrahim Fawzy curates this special section on beloved and award-winning Egyptian novelist Hamdi Abu Golayyel, chronicler of Egypt’s dispossessed, and scribe of the poetry and culture of the Bedouin.
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.