Middle East/North African Lit discussion
Arabic literature
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News
The hot new book (at least in Cairo) is Dr. Youssef Ziedan's Nabataean. (Ziedan won the IPAF in 2009, and his Azazel should be out from Atlantic next summer.)
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/12/...
Ibrahim al-Koni Wins Arabic Novel Award, Donates 100,000LE Prize to Touareg in Mali and Niger
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/12/...
(If you haven't read any al-Koni, I suggest starting with Bleeding of the Stone.)
Arabic Books Forthcoming in English in 2011
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/12/...
Miral al-Tahawy Wins Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/12/...
So The Bleeding of the Stone will be your nomination from Lybia in our next stop , I have not read him yet :o
What’s Wrong with 35 Naguib Mahfouz Translations?
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/12/...
I want us to do a Mahfouz "translation slam" here in Cairo. I'll see if I can get any takers!
Thanks for the link :)
I really do not understand where the problem is (with respect to other opinions)- as long as the translations are good .
what do you think of AUC translations of Tawfiq Al-Hakim's works The Essential Tawfiq Al-hakim ?
Perhaps what is really required in this YEAR OF MAHFOUZ (ouz-ouz-ouz)—in terms of translation—is not to scramble to render every last short story and napkin scrawl into English, but to re-translate some of his key novels.
I got back to your previous news post:
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/12/...
So , AUC will not have the novels re-translated to avoid mentioned problems ? some new and some re-published ?
Thanks for the link :)
I really do not understand where the problem is (with respect to other opinions)- as long as the translations are good .
what do you think of AUC translations..."
That's just it, I think many of the earlier ones in particular are not good. And no, I doubt anyone will have them re-translated in the short term.
It would take some young eager advocate-translators who really wanted to see the works done justice, I think. I don't think a publishing house would take the initiative, because---as MA Orthofer notes here (http://www.complete-review.com/saloon... old ones are selling just fine.
I like the Essential Tawfiq al-Hakim. I found the Essential Yusuf Idris a little disappointing (although still with its wonderful moments), but I liked the al-Hakim. Such a genius; I love re-reading his work.
I like them both :)
*******
Since we are reading for Ibrahim al-Kouny , here is a news about him ; he won the 2010 Arab Novel award from the International Forum for Arab Novel Creativity , he plans to donate the prize, estimated at LE100,000, to children in conflict areas throughout the Arab World .
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/node/272877
I like them both :)
*******
Since we are reading for Ibrahim al-Kouny , here is a news about him ; he won the 2010 Arab Novel award from the International Forum for Arab Novel Creativ..."
Yes ma'am, I think I posted stories about al-Koni in the news thread:
Ibrahim al-Koni Wins Arabic Novel Award, Donates 100,000LE Prize to Touareg in Mali and Niger
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/12/...
Was the Arab Novel Prize Given to Al-Koni for Bad Reasons?
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/12/...
A Celebration of Ibrahim al-Koni, the Desert, Russian Literature, and ‘Swiss Sufism’
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/12/...
Forthcoming al-Koni in English (June 2011):
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/12/...
thanks for the links , I will read them later :o
The reason I posted that news was because I was reading in Al masry elyoum today an article criticising youssef elkaeed for not liking Ibrahim al-Koni's donation for Touareg children and that wierd comment about Orhan Pamuk !
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/opinion/...
Sorry friends only in Arabic :(
thanks for the links , I will read them later :o
The reason I posted that news was because I was reading in Al masry elyoum today an article critic..."
Thanks for sharing!! It's good to be upset about something other than the church bombing/resulting tensions...
And, for those interested in a translation of this fairly stupid comment, it was "wasn't it possible for al-Koni to donate to the children of Palestine and Iraq, or would that anger the West?" And yes, he also makes reference to Orhan Pamuk's position toward the Armenians.
And claims---Nile daughter, correct me if I'm wrong---that al-Koni wants to pacify the West because he's after the Nobel prize, which Mahfouz got because he was in favor of some rapprochement with Israel.
Of course, al-Koni is FROM the Tuareg people...he is donating this money to his own people! How to make something bad out of a donation of $100,000, which the man could've kept and bought a fancy car or something... Argh.
exactly! i couldn't understand for the life of me why this is so controversial!!!
it seems like no matter where we are in the world, there is always someone who has to complain about something.
Thanks for the link ,(sorry for my ignorance) ; I did not there was so much controversies around that prize ! now I am more pushed to read Bleeding of the Stone , and I must know more about al-Koni literature !
About the link ; You are welcome. I am glad (Samir Farid) wrote that fair article .
Marieke,
I found it wstrange too !
You can read about it in the Washington City Paper:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/bl...
And elsewhere... I have tried to round up the coverage here:
Changing the End to Ghassan Kanafani’s ‘Return to Haifa’
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2011/01/...
I have not read for Ghassan Kanafani yeat , but I have Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories (actualy only Men in the Sun in Arabic) .
For Return to Haifa(Palestine's Children: Returning to Haifa & Other Stories),This topic seems interesting , thanks .
i'm still catching up on some things here. Funny, i had not heard anything about the play based on Kanafani's novella. Great article, Marcia!
To the Tyrants of the World
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2011/01/...
How Visible Is Arabic Lit on the International Scene?
By Yasmina Jraissati, RAYA
http://publishingperspectives.com/201...
"Despite having 320 million speakers, Arabic literature is all but invisible. Why? A dearth of overseas publishers who understand the language is just part of the problem."
Publishers usually do not know, let alone master, the Arabic language, and they need external readers to get an approximate idea of a book’s content. Often, they do not have readers of Arabic with whom they regularly work. In this case, they will need to find them, learn to trust their taste, and give them the time to know their editorial lines.
Finally, the Arab market is completely opaque and publishers have little means to evaluate a book: Who is the author and what is the importance of an author in the Arab cultural landscape? What is the extent of his impact on the local press? How many copies has a book sold in its market of origin? How does it compare to other sales? How original or literary is its content and language compared to other books?
Is Arabic literature visible in the world? Sure. The question is rather what, exactly, is seen
You know , what I love about this group , it can be used as a good way to see where the translated book (from Arabic lit) really fits in the original region , we have members from everywhere.
Hope a small place like this can mean something .
They are very involved with the Literature Festival that happens early March (can't wait!) and to which many Arabic authors come.
All we need is a publisher who would be interested in making translations - I'm sure the founder of the Book shop would be more that happy to advise on which books need translation.
"A quarter of people in the Arab world hardly ever or never read books for personal enjoyment, a survey by Yahoo! Maktoob Research has found."
Obviously, all of us on here are readers, but I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on why the number of readers is low in the region.
"A quarter of people in the Arab world hardly ever or never read books for personal enj..."
Egypt has one of the highest rates ! I am flattered
I do not know exactly , sometimes reading is some sort of luxury in poor levels (it is hard to get the book or the time to read it ). also I think that educational systems were designed to push young generations away from books and building their independent cultures , from anther side Media in general pushes new minds toward football or TV serials and light programs , if you look carefully you will find it easier for any regime to control ignorant people who do not know anything about their rights , cares only about their income that do not last to the end of the month but still afraid to talk and even do not know how ; and for fun they just watche football …
Maybe someone else can tell more !
I definitely agree with you there; the educational systems leave a lot to be desired. And you're right about reading being a luxury for poorer communities. Not only do they need to be able to get hold of books, they need to find the free time.
Did you read about the high school students that are protesting in Cairo with their own list of demands for the Minister of Education? They have some great suggestions!
Nile daughter, what do you think of Egypt's public libraries? Are you a member of one?
This is just one source, a cautionarly note to prospective authors!
So:
80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
57 percent of new books are not read to completion.
I find this equally if not more depressing than the situation in Africa.
I agree it's equally depressing. I think there are a lot of reasons behind America's aliteracy problem, education and funding being only the start. I'm just interested in hearing what people think are the reasons behind this here in this region. Is illiteracy as opposed to aliteracy more of the issue here, as some would propose?
Bernadette, I agree your gauestion is very interesting! I just wanted to put it a little in relation to the deplorable state of reading in one of the most advanced countries!
and i have a moroccan friend who only reads magazines. he doesn't enjoy books...but i'm not sure it has anything to do with being moroccan since i know plenty of americans who are the same.
how should reading be promoted in the Arab world?
is there any sort of "Reading Rainbow" type television program in the Arab world?
I'm glad you mentioned that! It seems both set of stats we're looking at on here are based on reading books. Many Egyptians read the daily newspapers. So, perhaps our definition of what a reader is needs to be broader to give us a better sense of people's true reading habits.
I think the reading culture is really growing here in Egypt. Just the number of new bookstores that have opened in the past five years is astounding! But books are expensive and so these are only reaching a certain segment of society.
The only public library that I've been to in Egypt (in Ma'adi) didn't exactly fit my definition of "public". LE 2 entrance fee if you're not a member. I think my yearly membership fee was LE 50. So again, this is only reaching a certain segment of society.
There is Alam Simsim (the Arabic version of Sesame Street), but I don't know what else.
I'm brainstorming with an NGO that is interested in getting a lending library started here in Sinai for the Bedouin children. But along with the library, we need other ways to encourage reading.
One thing I've always wondered about (and something Marcia and I have often discussed) is the fact that books are written in Modern Standard Arabic and not in the main dialects of the various countries. Would our Egyptian students develop a stronger bond with books at a young age if they had ones written in Egyptian Arabic?
Nile daughter, what do you think of Egypt's public libraries? Are you a member of one?..."
I have to check that ! :D in general education is in a disastrous condition :(
No I am not a member at any public library , I visited one long time ago and it was out of date and not In all specialties ,but to be honest I need to check such libraries again (usually I buy my books).
Lately there were more efforts for children libraries (never experienced it myself but it seems on the right track)- even there are movable library buses . also (The Family Library) project was very strong at the beginning with the annual festival (reading is for all ) , this helped many people to read
http://egyptianbook.org.eg/en/familyl...
you know something tragedian (for me ) ; British counsel used to have a very rich library and it has been closed , I used to go to it when I was in collage :(
Bernadette wrote: "it amazes me the number of (American)reading/elementary/English teachers who admit they aren't readers themselves! How can we expect them to instill in our youth a love of reading when they never pick up a book?! (And many of these teachers are training to be Reading Specialists!!)?..."
That is depressing !
Bernadette wrote: "One thing I've always wondered about (and something Marcia and I have often discussed) is the fact that books are written in Modern Standard Arabic and not in the main dialects of the various countries. Would our Egyptian students develop a stronger bond with books at a young age if they had ones written in Egyptian Arabic?
Personally I prefer formal Arabic ; because it is suffocating , young adults usage of Formal Arabic now has dropped to unbelievable low levels , we need to plant the language … plant loving and enjoying it in very young ages . I read stories for my daughter in formal but simplified English so why not Arabic ? I just need to reach a suitable Arabic collection .
Chrissie wrote: "Let's be fair about this. The number of american reading a book per year is also depressing: http://www.humorwriters.org/startling...
This is just one source, a cautionarly note to prospe..."
that is very interesting comparison , actually a surprise for me !!
Marieke wrote: "Algeria has one of the highest literacy rates (as in most people are able to read) in the Arab world, yet one of the lowest reading rates whereas Egypt has a rather low literacy rate yet has one of the highest reading rates AND along with Lebanon is the major publishing center of the Arab world.
is there any sort of "Reading Rainbow" type television program in the Arab world? ..."
Good point ! what do you mean by "Reading Rainbow" ?
yes, i read
The Collaborator of Bethlehemand really enjoyed it.
Reading Rainbow was a children's show about books and reading. one of the neat things it did was have children present short little book reports about a book they read and encourage other children to read it for themselves.
Do you mean that we should have children's books in simplified Arabic? And would that be Egyptian (or other dialects) of Standard Arabic?
Do you mean that we should have chi..."
I mean simplified Arabic of Standard Arabic to revive the language .(that is my personal opinion ; it is not a professional one) . BTW do you have children's books in English in dialects ?
Reading Rainbow was a children's show about books and reading. one of the neat things it did was have children present short little book reports about a bo..."
hmmm, nice but no; I do not think I heard of something like that in Arabic - not sure .
Yes! African American, Creole, Cajun, Texan, Appalachian, and others. But we haven't always had these and their usefulness is still debated among scholars and teachers.
In American schools, students are taught Standard American English (SAE) and this can be challenging for students who come to school speaking a non-standard dialect. And we have A LOT of students who do not speak SAE at home. In the university program I work with, we encourage teachers to recognize and celebrate the importance of a child's native dialect, while at the same time helping the students become aware of the differences between the languages and the appropriate context, audience, format, etc. of using each. Basically, there should be no shame in using and developing their dialect, but to be successful academically and professionally in today's world, they'll have to learn SAE.
Here's one list of examples of children's book written in various dialects:
http://www.bankstreet.edu/childrensli...
Yep, we have some of the same issues with English that we have with Arabic!
Splitted between The Doves' Necklace, by Saudi novelist Raja Alem, and The Arch and the Butterfly, by Moroccan politician, journalist and author Achaari – but the decision is more likely to spark debate than quell it ...Arabic Booker' can't escape controversy !
http://arablit.wordpress.com/
This is more detailed from the official website .
Middle East/North African Lit
Books mentioned in this topic
Celestial Bodies (other topics)Celestial Bodies (other topics)
The Bamboo Stalk (other topics)
Azazeel (other topics)
الفيل الأزرق (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jokha Alharthi (other topics)Jokha Alharthi (other topics)
Marilyn Booth (other topics)
Jonathan Wright (other topics)
Saud Alsanousi (other topics)
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http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/11/...
Arabic booker 2011 shortlist
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/12/... , es-this-year-theres-more-than-one-woman/