German-Arab Literature Exchange
All topics-
Ibn Rushd lecture: "The Bride of Amman"
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Arabic literature as a cultural asset
Uncharted waters
Many Arab civil war refugees have been forced to abandon prosperous lives in a homeland destroyed by war in order to reach the safety of Europe. But traumatic experiences are not all they bring with them; there is also a wealth of literature which is still unknown to many of us. By Melanie Christina Mohr
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The Algerian writer Kamel Daoud
Who is the Arab man?
He has written about Albert Camus, the New Year’s Eve assaults in Cologne and the Arab man. He has had a ″fatwa″ issued against him and been accused of Islamophobia. At Germany's top literature festival, ″Lit.Cologne″, however, he was the man of the moment. By Sarah Judith Hofmann
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Interview with the Yemeni author Ali al-Muqri
″Sex is the origin of all life″
The novels of Yemeni author Ali al-Muqri are well-known to Arab readers and a few have already been translated into other languages. Al-Muqri often deals with subjects like sex, war and religion. His novel ″Hurma″ (French: ″Femme interdite″) won him the French prize for Arabic literature. Interview by Amida Sholan
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The Arab world
(Not) an unlimited book market?
With the increasing efforts to revive the book market in the Arab world by publishers and cultural institutions, intermittently hindered by economic, political and social factors, the limitations of this market are yet to be explored and redefined. By Amira Elmasry
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Interview with the Tunisian poet Najet Adouani
"Nothing can stop me from spreading my wings"
In Tunisia, the poet Najet Adouani is regarded as a courageous fighter for both the free word and women's rights. Born in the south of the country in 1956, her most powerful weapons are the beauty of language and the poetry of her images. However, when it became clear that she was a Salafist target, she had to leave Tunisia at short notice. Adouani is currently living in Berlin, where Claudia Kramatschek met her
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Women writers in Iraq
Writing to stay alive
The anthology "Through the Eyes of Inana" is a collection of poetry and short stories by 19 Iraqi women writers. It is a cross-section of what women are writing in the country right now – about their lives and how they survive in a state of war, their wishes, their dreams and their sufferings. By Rosa Gosch
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Goethe and the Orient
Why did the poet's mind wander to far-off climes?
When Goethe compiled over 200 poetic works to create his West-East Divan in 1814 and 1815, the 60-year-old had already been fascinated with the Orient his whole life. But what made the poet's mind wander to far-off climes? By Melanie Christina Mohr
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Interview with the Iraqi author Abbas Khider
"German is my new language"
The Iraqi writer Abbas Khider was already living in Germany when war broke out in his home country. In this interview with Abderrahmane Ammar, he talks about why he speaks about those events in the language of his new home country and why he now also writes his books in German
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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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Book review: "Diamond Dust" by Ahmed Mourad
A dark political crime novel from Egypt
Ahmed Mourad's new novel asks whether evil is an unavoidable route to good, and how much violence is necessary in the fight against the corrupt and the unscrupulous. Sonja Hegasy on a literary slice of Egyptian life before the revolution
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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