RAYA Agency

Interlink Signs English Rights for Novels by Asma Al Atawna, Hammour Ziadeh

There were also two agreements to publish in English: for Asma al-Atawna’s debut coming-of-age novel, “Missing Picture,” and Hammour Ziada’s “Drowning.”Continue Reading

New Arabic Releases: 3 Recommendations from the RAYA Agency

Yasmina Jraissati at the RAYA Agency is recommending three very different titles for the fall. Two are new releases: a debut novel by Palestinian author Asma al-Atawna and a historical novel by award-winning Sudanese writer Hammour Ziada. The third is a fictionalized biography of Saddam Hussain (1937-2006): The least surprising recommendation isContinue 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.