‘Thug’,’Infiltrator’: ‘What Do These Words Mean To You?’
M. LYNX-QUALEY: Amira Hanafi, an Egyptian-American poet, is about to embark on a novel initiative inspired by her experiences in Tahrir Square during 25th January revolution
Exile and Alienation: A Father’s Letters To His Son
GEORGE EL HAGE, TABSIR: I felt it necessary to express directly to my son the feelings of loneliness, isolation and alienation felt by a Lebanese exile.
An Iraqi Icon: Fadhil Al-Azzawi Reviews His Career
AMIRA ABD EL-KHALEK, CGNEWS: He is one of the Arab World’s most revered authors and recently looked back on his life of writing.
The ‘Immortal Olive Tree’: Part of Every Palestinian
MICH CAFE: More than 7,500 olive trees belonging to Palestinians were damaged or destroyed last year by Israeli settlers. A well-thought through assault
Two Syrian Female Activists Receive Global Recognition
MICH CAFE: One is a lawyer and human rights activist the other is a leading author but the bravery of both women has been acknowledged by a wider audience
A Half Day in the Life of ‘the Last Arab Jew’
KHALED DIAB, CGNEWS: It’s possible to see the key struggles of the last 60 years through the prism of the life of Sasson Somekh.
The Arab World’s ‘Olympic Poets’: Who’d You Choose?
M. LYNX-QUALEY: Thanks goodness we no longer have the embarrassment of the Olympics ‘Art Competitions’ but the UK’s Guardian newspaper did some nice work.
‘Stereotype Killer’: Muslim Men Speak About Lives
NADIA MOHAMMAD, CGNEWS: Everyone seems to have an opinion on who and what Muslim men are. Time to ask the men themselves
Cultural Elite Fear the Worst in the ‘New Egypt’
M. LYNX-QUALEY: At the unveiling of Egypt’s most prestigious cultural awards there was a pervasive feeling of fear at what’s to come
Sinan Antoon: ‘The Barbarian Who’s Keeping It Real’
TABSIR: A celebrated novelist, poet and filmmaker Sinan Antoon reflects on life in Iraq before and after the fall of Saddam Hussein
Religious Comment Plus Political Activism Equals Trouble
ROB L. WAGNER: His religious comments were ill-chosen but they are not the only reason that he is in serious trouble.
Port Said Deaths Boost Egypt’s Soccer ‘Army’
JAMES M. DORSEY: Growing sentiment that the brawl in which 74 people were killed was provoked is putting wind in the sails of militant soccer fan groups.
Goodbye Ibrahim Aslan: Daily Debris Was His Inspiration
M. LYNX-QUALEY: He wrote about everyday lives filled with frustration and dead-ends but leavened by laughter. Farewell, Ibrahim, we’ll miss you
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.
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…
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…
The Powerful, Deep Hold of Black Magic Across the Islamic World
ROB L. WAGNER: A recent ruling by the Shoura Council in Saudi Arabia has brought the issue of black magic to the fore again. Its influence is huge.
Reasons to be Cheerful: A Poem entitled ‘Smile’
THE MOOR NEXT DOOR: Elia Abu Madi was a very well-respected Syro-Lebanese poet in the early twentieth century.
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…
