Clik here to view.
‘The Journey of Hyenas': A Novel That Contests the ‘Natural Order’
The Journey of Hyenas (2013) by Egyptian writer Soheir al-Musadafah, sets the a story of a woman’s seventh-century slavery against the present day: By Aisha Khalil Nasser Soheir al-Musadafah’s The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Immortal’ Algerian Novelist Assia Djebar Dies, 78
Algerian novelist Assia Djebar — frequently mentioned as a Nobel Prize contender and one of the “immortals” of the Académie Française — has died in a hospital in Paris: According to Algerian state...
View ArticleClik here to view.
International Women’s Day: Translating, or Mistranslating, Arab Feminisms
Nawal El Saadawi just finished up a popular, well-received appearance at the Emirates LitFest in Dubai: Now, the eighty-three-year-old novelist and activist is in England for an appearance at the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Consorts of the Caliphs': History Through the Writings of 39 Women
Consorts of the Caliphs — a history through the writings of thirty-nine women — is the newest Library of Arabic Literature title, officially forthcoming next month. A consciously non-canonical and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Struggles of ‘Vagina Monologues’-inspired Theatre in Morocco
In 2006, “Vagina Monologues”-inspired projects launched in Lebanon (“Women’s Talk”), Egypt (“BuSSy”), and the Netherlands (“Veiled Monologues”). In 2012, a similar project launched in Morocco...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Yes, Wonderful Things': Reem Bassiouney on Making It As a Female Author,...
Earl of Carnarvon, who sponsored the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb, was present with Howard Carter when the archaeologist first chiselled into the tomb. Carnarvon finally asked, “Can you see...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Summer Re-Run: Arab Women Writers Recommend Their Favorite Arab Women Writers
In 2014, ArabLit did a very popular “Year of Reading Arab Women.” A number of readers asked for a follow-up in 2015. In January of this year, nine acclaimed Arab women writers chose favorite books by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Egyptian Writer-Translator Ibtihal Salem Dies, 66
Egyptian short-story writer, novelist, and translator Ibtihal Salem died early Saturday at the age of 66: Salem was born in Giza and study psychology at Ain Shams University. After that, she worked in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Alexandra Chreiteh on Writing About Menstruation in Modern Standard Arabic
In what sort of language can an author write about something as banal and contested as menstruation? Should a character pee in colloquial Arabic or Modern Standard? In the first part of a two-part...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Women in Translation (from Arabic): Does It Matter?
Although commentators have often suggested Arab women’s literature is over-emphasized in the West, Arabic literature tends to experience a gender imbalance that’s similar to the other languages: For...
View ArticleClik here to view.
And the Prize for Women in Arabic Translation Goes to… No One?
On International Women’s Day, literary translator Elisabeth Jaquette explores the spaces for women in translation from Arabic into English: By Elisabeth Jaquette Where are the women in English...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy Un-International-Women’s Day: 9 Works by Arabophone Women
Yesterday, Elisabeth Jaquette celebrated International Women’s Day by highlighting gender disparities in translation. Today, for Un-International-Women’s Day, nine works by Arabophone women that shift...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Women Write War: 4 Books
The April issue of Words Without Borders features a section titled “Women Write War,” with fiction, poetry, and essays translated from the Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, Ukranian, Bosnian, French, Russian,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why Iraqi Novelist Ali Bader Shifted Women’s Liberation to the Center of His...
The work of Iraqi novelist underwent a serious shift in the last few years. From a piece in Qantara: Ali Bader could have rested on his laurels. As an author of philosophical fictions, Bader achieved...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Here’s to Blowing Savior Literature off the Shelves’
So tweeted Egyptian writer Yasmin El-Rifae, when sharing the list of 10 — which was really 15, because sometimes one can’t help oneself — books by women writers that should be translated from Arabic to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Renaissance in Four Voices: Four Women Writers Celebrated in Beirut
On the seventh of July, PEN Lebanon will celebrate four women writers: Rasha al-Ameer, Elfriede Jelinek, Leila Baalbaki, and Ingeborg Bachmann: Of these four women writers, one hasn’t had a book...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Women in Translation’ Month, and 5 New or Forthcoming Books by Arab Women
This August marks the third annual Women in Translation month, held with the aim of encouraging readers, reviewers, publishers, booksellers, and librarians – but especially readers – to engage with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Women, Gulf Citizens Make Up Majority of Emerging Writers Chosen for IPAF’s...
This week, a group of six emerging writers joined two award-winning novelists — Hammour Ziada and Mohammed Hasan Alwan — for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF)’s eighth nadwa, held at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Women and Arabic Literature: News from Cairo and Casablanca
“Serious” literature is, in most languages, a male-dominated business. Literary works translated into English have hovered around a 70-30 split: Exotic and kitchsy? This often reflects a bias in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Announcing the Debut of ‘Warwick Prize for Women in Translation’
This week, organizers announced the first ever Warwick Prize for Women in Translation — although it was, I think, supposed to get its big reveal today: In any case, the debut Warwick will be awarded...
View Article