Author: Fakhri Saleh

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Demonstration in Amman in support of the Jordanian government in the fight against terrorism (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/R. Adayleh)

After the murder of the pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh

Rage, not fear

Burning the pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh alive was meant to sow fear and discord in Jordan. It has in fact had the opposite effect. The Jordanian writer and literary critic Fakhri Saleh looks back on a harrowing and dramatic week in JordanMore

Killing of Jordanian pilot: United in sorrow, united against ISGlobal strategies for combating Islamic State: The intellectual battle against ISThe international alliance against IS: No clear objectiveMilitary strikes against IS: Fragile alliance
Mahmud Darwish (photo: AP)

Recreating Palestine in Literature

A Nation Crafted From Words

"We have a country made of words", reads a famous poem by the Palestinian writer Mahmud Darwish. In his essay, the well-known Jordanian journalist and literary scholar Fakhri Saleh explores the effect that the loss of homeland has had on Palestinian literature and self-perceptionMore

Mahmoud Darwish's Last Volume of Poetry: A Palestinian Throws the DiceMahmoud Darwish: Palestine's Poetic VoiceRethinking World Literature: The Arabic Novel in Non-Western Eyes
The Saudi writer and journalist Turki al-Hamad (Screenshot Al-Arabiya-TV)

The Arrest of Saudi Intellectual Turki al-Hamad

One Step Forward and Two Steps Back?

The Saudi writer and journalist Turki al-Hamad is one of the most distinguished and courageous intellectuals in his homeland. Religious authorities have already issued seven fatwas against him. For the past two-and-a-half weeks, the soon to be 60-year-old writer has been sitting in prison for sending highly controversial Twitter messages. By Fakhri SalehMore

Literary Awakening in Saudi Arabia: A Distant Echo of 9/11Interview with the Saudi writer Badriya Al-Bishr: ''Even Love is a scandal''The Saudi Arabian Blogger Ahmed al Omran: ''You Cannot Copy and Paste a Revolution''
Daniel Barenboim and his orchestra in the Al Mahdaf Museum in Gaza (photo: © Shareen Sarhan / UNRWA)

Daniel Barenboim and Arab Anti-Israel Sentiment

A Classic Example of Political Naivety

The Israeli star conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim and his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra were invited to perform in Qatar. Then, following pressure from Arab opponents of a normalisation of relations with Israel, the invitation was withdrawn. As far as the Jordanian author Fakhri Saleh is concerned, this is evidence of political naivetyMore

Barenboim Conducts Mozart in Gaza: Mozart Sounds Like an Arab Love SongCultural Exchange between Egypt and Israel: Anti-Normalisation as a Way of Life"The Arabs and the Holocaust": War of Narratives
Yahya ibn Mahmud al-Wasiti, the 7th Maqāma of Maqamat al-Harīrī dating from the mid-10th century, with a 13th century illustration

Rethinking World Literature

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The Arabic Novel in Non-Western Eyes

Anthologies of "world literature" have often used the term to market a largely Western canon. But isn't western literature still implicitly regarded as the measure of all things? And are we not overlooking other literary values out of sheer ignorance? By Fakhri SalehMore

Naguib Mahfouz's influence on Arabic Literature: In the Shadow of the MasterPublication of Arab Literature in English: Change of ParadigmInterview with Hans Magnus Enzensberger: ''Europe Has No Copyright on the Enlightenment''Essay Peter Ripken: Listen to What the Arab World Has to Say