Award-winning Short Fiction: Raja Alem’s ‘The Boa’
2021-11-08
” I spat out all the womb’s waters that were stagnant within my chest, and then waited for their despair.”Continue Reading
On Raja Alem’s ‘Sarab’ & Translating an Arabic Book Not Published in Arabic
2019-08-19
“I was honoured to work on this for many reasons, but I have to say that Raja’s process of not publishing the Arabic first really felt like a mark of faith in what translators can do, and recognition of the different value they can bring to a text.”Continue Reading
Pub Day for ‘ArabLit Quarterly Fall 2018: Beginnings’
2018-11-15
Today is publication day for the first-ever ArabLit Quarterly.Continue Reading
9 Forthcoming in November 2018
2018-11-01
Nine translations from the Arabic — at least, translated from the Arabic in some roundabout fashion — forthcoming this month.Continue Reading
Friday Finds: Excerpt of Raja Alem’s ‘Sarab’
2018-10-12
“That was on November 29, 1979. Thanks to the clouds of gas that hovered in the air over the Holy City, the National Guard had successfully regained control of the rooftops and halls of the Grand Mosque, despite the heavy losses they had sustained earlier in the battle.”Continue Reading
Listen: 4 Shortlisted for 2018 ArabLit Story Prize
2018-10-01
The four shortlisted stories, read by author or translator.Continue Reading
Announcing: Shortlist for 2018 ArabLit Story Prize
2018-09-15
The four pairs that made the shortlist of the 2018 ArabLit Story Prize are: Palestinian writer Maya Abu-Alhayyat with translator Riham Adly; Egyptian writer Mohammad Abdelnabi with translator Robin Moger; Syrian author Rasha Abbas with translator Fatima El-Kalay; and Saudi novelist Raja Alem with translator Rana Ghuloom.Continue Reading
Why Raja Alem is Publishing ‘Sarab’ in Translation Before She Publishes in Arabic
2018-04-25
“Arabic is my center. I am very sensitive to the words, and up until now I cannot find the right words to capture this story, this wound. I feel I need to rewrite this book in some new Arabic, after taking a distance.”Continue Reading
International Prize for Arabic Fiction Can’t Escape Controversy
2011-03-15
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction – or, as it’s popularly known, the “Arabic Booker” – has attracted a wealth of controversy in its first four years. A number of prominent authors have refused to let their books be nominated for the prize, which has been accused of, among other things, being too closely allied with governmental powers, discriminating against women and rewarding novels that cater to western interests.Continue Reading
