Qantara.de - Dialog mit der islamischen Welt

For young women throughout the Arab world, everyday life is fraught with tension. In this piece Algerian writer and film-maker Drifa Mezenner presents her own take on conflicting generational expectations, societal pressures and the deeply felt desire to live a self-determined existenceMore

Ahmet Altanʹs "Like a Sword Wound", translated into English by Brendan Freely, reads like a grand adventure story: intrigue, suspense, romance and politics. Yet, each little incident, from the in-fighting in the palace to the conditions aboard Ottoman naval vessels, reveals a deep current of rot. Richard Marcus read the bookMore

Turkey's most famous photographer, Ara Guler, has died in Istanbul at the age of 90. With his images of both the people and places of the Turkish capital, Guler has done more than any other to keep the memory of the city as it used to look alive. By Marian BrehmerMore

Emine Sevgi Ozdamar's writing is characterised by its unique figurative language – Arabic children's prayers, Turkish idioms and English film quotations all line up like telling beads, complementing each other and unfolding their own special rhythm. Aygul Cizmecioglu introduces the authorMore

Stella Gitanoʹs "Withered Flowers" is a powerful short story collection that showcases work from the very beginnings of an impressive and unusual literary career. The stories, now translated by Anthony Calderbank, centre on the lives of Sudanʹs marginalised and are elevated by bold, fearless imagery. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the bookMore

In 2011, the year of the Syrian revolution, Dima Wannous left her homeland and moved to Beirut. At that point she had published a volume of short stories and a novel, but afterwards she suffered writerʹs block. Her new novel is something of a personal account about overcoming trauma in the wake of dictatorship and war. By Volker KaminskiMore

In the south-eastern Tunisian region of Medenine, music represented a socially marginalised way for post-emancipation blacks to advance. These days thatʹs not enough to satisfy the younger generation. By Marta ScaglioniMore

Hoda Marmar is the administrator of the popular bilingual "Bookoholics" group in Beirut, which recently celebrated its sixth anniversary and which has, in those six years, discussed 125 books in Arabic and English. By Marcia Lynx QualeyMore

Music is back in Mosul, as are books and paintings. With Islamic State gone, locals are enjoying their newfound freedom and embracing culture. Will it last? Judit Neurink reports from MosulMore