Arabic language
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Obituary: the Algerian writer Malek Alloula
A prophet unaccepted in his own country
The renowned Algerian essayist, literary scholar and poet Malek Alloula died in February at the age of 78. His ex-wife, the writer Assia Djebar, had died in exile in Paris only a few weeks previously. By Suleman Taufiq
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Obituary: the Algerian author Assia Djebar
Trailblazer for her country, her gender and her continent
The Algerian author, historian and filmmaker Assia Djebar was the "grande dame" of Francophone Maghreb literature, a figurehead for generations of women writers in the Arab world. Right up until the very end, she was considered a favourite for the Nobel Prize in literature. She died on 6 February at the age of 78. An obituary by Regina Keil-Sagawe
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Women and the International Prize for Arabic Fiction
How many women does it take to win the IPAF?
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) was launched in 2007. Since then, only one woman has won the prize. Over the course of the past eight years, there has been much debate about the appearance (or not) of women on the long- and shortlists for the prize. Marcia Lynx Qualey looks back on the history of women and the IPAF
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Cairo International Book Fair 2015
Navigating the jungle
70 million books, 47 participating countries, 850 publishers ... and all for an admission price of just under ten cents. After 46 years, the Cairo International Book Fair is not only the oldest in the Arab world; with one million visitors, it is also the second largest book fair on the planet. By Amira El Ahl in Cairo
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Book review: Kamal Ruhayyim's "Diary of a Muslim Jew"
An engaging take on a complex theme
In the first half of the twentieth century, about 75,000 Jews lived in Egypt. With the 1948 Arab–Israeli war, their lives in Egypt became increasingly difficult and many emigrated to Europe. Kamal Ruhayyim believes that Jewish Egyptians were an important part of the Egyptian community and wrote a book to keep their memory alive. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the English translation of the first book in Ruhayyim's trilogy "Diary of a Muslim Jew"
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Fadhil al-Azzawi's novel "The Last of the Angels"
Topical, thrilling and entertaining – even after 25 years
The publication of Fadhil al-Azzawi's novel in German translation is a sensation on the German book market, and its publication a late tribute to the internationally-renowned Iraqi author who wrote it 25 years ago. While "The Last of the Angels" remained unknown in Germany for a long time, the novel is already highly acclaimed in the Arabic- and English-speaking world. By Volker Kaminski
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The Arabic language
A better understanding
Arabic is spoken in 22 countries, but people from different countries don't necessarily understand each other. The language is split up into numerous dialects, some of which are mutually unintelligible. The Arab spring went a long way towards unifying the way Arabic is used in everyday life. Translators are working on an online dictionary to help standardise the language for business purposes. By Charlotte Schmitz and Guido Zebisch
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Interview with literary translator Hartmut Faehndrich
"What I don't see is an on-going interest in Arabic literature"
Hartmut Faehndrich is one of the most renowned translators of Arabic literature in the German-speaking world. He has translated nearly 60 novels into German. In this interview with Ruth Renée Reif, he explains why Arabic literature is undervalued in the German-speaking world
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Love in Egypt
"Does love as it is here exist in Europe?"
Three ethnologists – a Finn, a German and a Swiss – set out to research the laws of love in Egypt. Their work shows one thing above all else: love is an obsession in the land of the Nile – and quite complicated too. By Iris Mostegel
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International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2014: "Frankenstein in Baghdad"
Beyond good and evil
Ahmed Saadawi's novel "Frankenstein in Baghdad" has won the 2014 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Khaled Hroub presents the book
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The Hakawati bookshop for children and young people in Amman
Huge appetite for exciting stories
Since opening ten years ago, the Hakawati bookshop in Amman has become an institution in the Jordanian capital. Nowhere else in the city offers such a wealth of books for children and young people. Claudia Mende took a look around this fascinating shop
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The Arab world
Arabic: the last tie that binds
In terms of politics, economics, religion and culture, the paths of the Arab states diverge. The once proclaimed unity between them has been consigned to the history books. Only one thing still binds them together: the Arabic language. By Kersten Knipp