Bahaa Taher, the Decline of Arabic, and Local Respect for Literature

Ali Abdel Mohsen has a delightful report on what must’ve been a pretty dreadful book event featuring acclaimed (Arabic Booker-winning) author Bahaa Taher and a pair of literary critics.
Says Mohsen:
Of course, the events of the evening unfolded to the usual medley of polyphonic phone warbling and stage-whispered side conversations, proving that an audience of 12 [...]

If You’re in Cairo

Kotob Khan has announced a second workshop on literary criticism under the supervision of Professor Sayed Bahraoui. The workshop will start in April; let them know if you’re interested.
Also, I know it’s not literature, but three new films from at the AUC (with formatting cut and pasted from my email inbox):
Sunday 11 April 6:00 – [...]

If You’re In New York City…

Events March 5 and 6 at NYU and the New School (respectively) exploring and comparing Mahmoud Darwish and Nazim Hikmet. Presentations by, among others, Sinaan Antoon and Elias Khoury.
And before that, on March 2, go talk Orientalism at CUNY’s Martin Segal Theater with Gayatri Spivak and Kyoo Lee.
I’m sure both events will be wonderful, but, [...]

If You’re in Cairo Today

Ahmed Khalifa (I have quoted his book- and film-review blog on more than one occasion) will have a signing tonight for his new novel, Beware the Stranger. According to Khalifa, it’s “the first English-language Egyptian Young Adult (YA) horror novel in history.”
And I don’t know that there’s much YA horror in Arabic, either.
It’s tonight [...]

If You’re in London: The Israeli-Arab Book Club

There’s an interesting new book club in north London.
The Guardian reports that the inaugural discussion—led by writer Ariel Kahn and Palestinian novelist Samir El-Youssef—was a “roaring success,” even though the report noted only about 20 people attended.
Although, indeed, 20 is probably a good number for a book group.
The idea behind this book club is to [...]

Why Doesn’t Humphrey Davies Translate More Arab Women?

…And a Few Other Moments from Last Night’s Talk
I never did hear a thorough answer to this question, although moderator Samia Mehrez—head of the American University in Cairo’s new Center for Translation Studies—did ask during his presentation the AUC last night.
Davies’ list of translated works is, after all, markedly male.
Apparently, I coughed during his response—that [...]

If You’re in Cairo Today

Humphrey’s the award-winning translator of a number of books, including Ahmed Alaidy’s Being Abbas el-Abd, Gamal al-Ghitani’s Pyramid Texts, Bahaa Taher’s Sunset Oasis, and Elias Khoury’s Gate of the Sun, Yalo, and…well, I forget which of Khoury’s books Humphrey’s working on now. But it’s definitely one of Khoury’s books.
Will I make it downtown by 6 [...]

The Poetry of Absence

At a recent Cairo literary event, my friend Yasmine P.—who has spent the last three years living in Jerusalem, and continues to travel back frequently to finish her documentary film—complained of under-attendance.
If this was a literary event in Palestine, Yasmine told me, there would not be one free chair. The place would be packed. (And, [...]

Attendees Debrief following ‘Arabic Booker’ Retreat

The IPAF (“Arabic Booker”)-sponsored retreat to Baniyas Island is over, and a few of the authors—including Egypt’s Mansoura el-Ezdin, longlisted for this year’s Arabic Booker—spoke with The National about their experiences.
In effect, it sounds like a clone of writing retreats anywhere in the Americas or Europe.
This makes me a little weary, as it doesn’t [...]

Gulf puts more money in the literary mouth

In 2008, the Emirates Foundation funded the first “Arabic Booker” literary prize. The Dubai International Poetry Festival 2009 has announced its intentions to revive an ancient Arab literary contest. The Sharjah Women’s Club even got in on the literary bonanza with an Arab Woman’s Literary Creativity Award.
A peaceful jihad? Maybe. A better use of funds [...]