Preserving the Vanishing Heritage of East Africa’s Swahili Coast
Traces of a culture once at the center of exchange between Islam and East Africa are in danger of disappearing. Two authors hope to change that.
‘Poetic Justice’: A Snapshot of Contemporary Moroccan Poetry
Deborah Kapchan’s comprehensive new anthology pulls together a rich and varied tapestry of Morocco’s many poetic traditions.
Crime Fiction From the Maghreb: Not So Hidden After All
Who says the genre barely exists in the region? A little detective work turns up plenty of fictional bodies in the libraries of western North Africa.
Young Art Executive Has a Key Role in Qatar’s Public Art Scene
As the Qatar Foundation’s senior art specialist, Layla Bacha manages an art portfolio that includes major public artworks and museum collections.
More Flexibility with Foreign Words Might Help Arabic Flourish
Using foreign terms in Arabic does not weaken or devalue it, a scholar argues, but rather allows it to develop and keep pace with the modern world.
10 Books, 10 Years Later: Literature After the ‘Arab Spring’
A sampling of how writers from the Middle East and North Africa responded to the chaos and frustrations of the “Arab Spring” uprisings.
An Educator and Translator Confronts a Decline in Teaching Arabic
Maha Saleh believes that the fragmented nature of Arabic teaching curricula has negatively affected the language.
Palestinian Diaspora Literature Resurges from Obscurity
Publishers are showing new interest in creative poetry and fiction by young Palestinians whose works reflect the emotional and physical scars of displacement.
Collection Brings Pioneering Iraqi Poet to New Audiences
Though considered “one of the most significant Arab writers of the twentieth century,” Nazik al-Mala’ika was little known in English. A new bilingual edition creates a fuller portrait of her work.
Recommended Reading, 2020: Books From and About the Arab World
A sampling of works published, translated or honored in the past year illustrates the diversity of scholarly and literary writing by Arab authors.
