Books
In other words: The things a word carries
April 8, 2012
In other words: The things a word carries
“Muslim” and “Moslem” are nothing more than “two different spellings of the same word,” according to the US-based Center for…
The strange path of a Palestinian-American novel
April 1, 2012
The strange path of a Palestinian-American novel
When Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa began writing her popular “Mornings in Jenin,” it was, she said, “to put a Palestinian…
Rabee Jaber’s ‘Druze of Belgrade’ wins 2012 Arabic Booker
March 28, 2012
Rabee Jaber’s ‘Druze of Belgrade’ wins 2012 Arabic Booker
ABU DHABI — The 2012 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, popularly called the “Arabic Booker,” was awarded to prolific Lebanese…
The loss and gain of the self in Mufti’s ‘Toy of Fire’
March 25, 2012
The loss and gain of the self in Mufti’s ‘Toy of Fire’
From the onset, Algerian journalist and writer Bashir Mufti entangles the readers of "Toy of Fire" ("Domiat al-Nar") between reality…
Pope Shenouda as a writer
March 22, 2012
Pope Shenouda as a writer
Displayed on the shelves of every church bookstore in Egypt is a collection of writings by the late Pope Shenouda…
Where are the children’s books about the ‘Arab Spring’?
March 11, 2012
Where are the children’s books about the ‘Arab Spring’?
At this year’s Cairo International Book Fair, the most sought-after books were those about Arab revolutions. Titles about revolution, in…
Gambling on imagination
March 6, 2012
Gambling on imagination
“I'm a young female, gambling on [people’s] imagination.” This is how the 42-year-old novelist and associate professor of English at…
‘A Tunisian Tale’: A grim delight
March 4, 2012
‘A Tunisian Tale’: A grim delight
The spark at the center of Hassouna Mosbahi’s short novel, “A Tunisian Tale,” is a human immolation. As in the…
Traveling under ‘The Seven Skies’
February 29, 2012
Traveling under ‘The Seven Skies’
“He who passes place and time lightly, Doesn’t let place enslave him, or time waste him” (From “The Beauty of…
Soueif’s ‘Cairo: My City’ spins stories within stories to keep a revolution alive
February 26, 2012
Soueif’s ‘Cairo: My City’ spins stories within stories to keep a revolution alive
Ahdaf Soueif’s “Cairo: My City, Our Revolution” is an addition to the blossoming genre of “revolution diary” literature. It…