Dropping the ‘D’ On the Way to a Better 2012
STEVE ROYSTON: I thought of the Q-less dictionary as words rattled round my head to describe my golf game, and prospects for the world in 2012…
Best Arabic Books of 2011: A Personal Choice
M. LYNX-QUALEY: It’s been a momentous year in politics in the Arab World but how has literature measured up? Herewith 2011 ‘s highlights.
Kingmakers, Invention of the Modern Middle East
STEVE ROYSTON: Book Review: Here you’ll find the Britons and Americans – proconsuls, agents provocateurs, spies, politicians – that shaped the Middle East.
A Force for Freedom, Mohamed Hashem
M.LYNX-QUALEY: At a press conference today, award-winning author Mohamed Hashem was the target of accusations by the SCAF’s General Adel Emara.
Bahrain: 3 Cartoonists, Sum Bigger than Parts?
M.LYNX-QUALEY: Neufeld wasn’t in Bahrain during the protests, but he cartoons about it nevertheless through the lens of two cartoonists who were.
Art’s Struggle to Define Who & What is ‘Tahrir’
M.LYNX-QUALEY: Dina Adel asserts that all this means art in Egypt (and perhaps beyond) is undergoing a renaissance, another Nahda…
Libya Hosts Book ‘Un-Banning Ceremony’
M. LYNX-QUALEY: Who knows – it could set the template for a wave of such events. Libya’s ‘Book Un-Banning Ceremony’ is worth celebrating.
Emirati Female Writers Finding Their Feet
M. LYNX-QUALEY: A collection of writing from Emirati authors, showcased in the journal ‘Banipal’, demonstrates the wide variety of female voices in the UAE…
‘No Government Support’ for Arabic Literature
M. LYNX-QUALEY: Unlike most Western governments there is little appetite among any Arab government for the translation and promotion of literature. It’s a great shame.
‘Writing the Revolution’: Two Authors Reflect
JENNIFER SEARS, ARABLIT: Two leading novelists attending an event in New York reflect on the role of intellectuals on this year’s events.
When Will We See the Arabic ‘Harry Potter’?
NOURA AL NOMAN, ARABLIT.COM: There is a serious lack of Arabic literature for young adults. What we need is an Arabic ‘Harry Potter’. Easier said than done.
Ramadan Reading: As Recommended by Mahfouz
M. LYNX-QUALEY: So what was on the Ramadan reading list of the great Naguib Mahfouz? A little of what you would expect and a few surprises.
A Summer Tonic: Mahfouz’s Belief in ‘the Power of Good’
M. LYNX-QUALEY: While conducting some ‘centenary research’ I came across the lecture Mahfouz delivered when accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Let’s Hear It for the Poet with the Weird Accent
M. LYNX-QUALEY: Son of an acclaimed literary family, Tamim al-Barghouti’s ‘weird accent and non-Egyptian features’ seem to be a problem for some in Egypt…
Three Books That WON’T Help You Understand Iraq
M. LYNX-QUALEY: It’s one of those lists again. You know it’s designed to gain a reaction and you can’t help yourself so here I go with my reaction to books on Iraq.
Censors ‘Making a Comeback’ in Tunisia and Egypt
M. LYNX-QUALEY: Following a relatively brief lull in censorship activity in Tunisia and Egypt it appears they’re back in business again.
A Poem about the Saudi “Women in Black”
SUSIE OF ARABIA: A young, Saudi woman who, as a child, witnessed another woman displaying a freedom of spirit has written a poem in celebration of the inspirational character.
The Arabic Novel: A New Form of Criticism Required?
M. LYNX-QUALEY: Is Naguib Mahfouz the ‘Arabic Balzac’, the ‘Arabic Zola’ or the ‘Arabic Thomas Mann’? Who cares? He wrote novels in a tradition that grew separately from European and American authors.
The Top 100 – and Five – Arabic Novels
M. LYNX-QUALEY: The Arab Writers Union has listed the Top 100 Arabic novels. Puzzling, annoying, lists such as this are nevertheless fun.
Should Translators Be Native Speakers of Arabic, Or English?
M.LYNX QUALEY: There have been native Arabic speakers who’ve made a mess of translation. Just as surely, there have been English speakers who have not understood the Arabic.
