Literature
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Najat El Hachmi’s "La filla estrangera"
An irrepressible desire for freedom
In her latest novel, Catalan-Moroccan writer Najat El Hachmi tells the story of a young migrant woman struggling to balance her desire for freedom and the demands of tradition and family. With great openness and a sensuous use of language, El Hachmi paints a picture of the timeless conflict encountered by young people striving for self-determination. Volker Kaminski read the book for Qantara.de
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ArabLit & ArabLit Quarterly
Arabic literature in German translation
The ArabLit brand, brainchild of writer and reviewer Marcia Lynx Qualey, is a treasure trove for those interested in literature from the Arab world. The journal generally showcases literary works translated from Arabic into English, but for Qantara.de the question remains: what Arab and Arabic literature has been translated into German?
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Dialogue of cultures
Banipal Translation Prize 2021: Shortlist of 5
Organisers of the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation have announced this year’s shortlist. Three translators have made the shortlist for the first time in 2021: Sarah Enany (for Rasha Adly’s 'The Girl with the Braided Hair'), Sawad Hussain (for Shahla Ujayli’s 'A Bed for the King’s Daughter'), and Elisabeth Jaquette (for Dima Wannous’ 'The Frightened Ones').
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Book review: Hassan Blasim's "God 99"
A different sort of sacred
Reading Hassan Blasim's God 99 is an immersive experience of grief and exaltation, anger and disgust, writes Marcia Lynx Qualey. We join the Iraqi narrator as he sits around in seedy Finnish bars and plays slot machines; as he meets refugees and listens to their stories; as he exchanges letters with a dying friend; and as he crosses a kaleidoscopic series of borders
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Interview with Jordanian novelist Jalal Barjas
"Some Arab writers present distorted images of their societies"
Jordanian writer Jalal Barjas' novel "Notebooks of the Bookseller", which won this year's Booker International Prize for Arabic Fiction, was celebrated at a symposium during the Berlin International Literature Festival in September. A large number of Germans and Arabs interested in Arabic literature attended. On the sidelines, journalist Rim Najmi caught up with Jalal Barjas
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Abdulrazak Gurnah and Tsitsi Dangarembga
Can the Nobel Prize "revitalise" African literature?
Abdulrazak Gurnah is the fourth author from sub-Saharan Africa to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Is the tide turning for African writers? By Annabelle Steffes-Halmer
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Book review: Threa Almontaser's "The Wild Fox of Yemen"
An emotional landscape of subtle complexity
"The Wild Fox of Yemen" by Threa Almontaser is an anthology of poetry that gathers readers up and into itself and immerses them in the poet's world – the world of a first-generation American/Yemeni trying to find her way in a country while her familial roots are far across oceans in Yemen. By Richard Marcus
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Interview with Iranian-German author Siba Shakib
"The notion of home is bound up with loss"
Iranian-German author and filmmaker Siba Shakib was born in Tehran. Her best-selling novels deal with themes of heritage and the past. She speaks to Qantara.de about her new novel "Der Kirschbaum, den sie ihrer Mutter nie schenkte" (The Cherry Tree She Never Gave Her Mother), home, religion and the identity politics debate. Interview conducted by Schayan Riaz
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Diwan and the dialogue of cultures
Nadia Wassef's bookshop memoir – a chronicle of Egypt's upheaval
Egyptian author Nadia Wassef talks about opening the first independent bookstore in her home country; and her latest book in which she celebrates books and booksellers. By Manasi Gopalakrishnan
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Karl-Josef Kuschel's "Goethe and the Koran"
Islam for the 21st century? Look no further than Goethe
No other Western poet was arguably so well-versed in the Koran or so fascinated by Islam as Germany's national hero, Goethe. In a new publication that examines all Goethe's writings relating to Islam, theologian Karl-Josef Kuschel shows that the poet's message is still highly relevant today. Stefan Weidner read the book
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Book review: Fatima Daas' "The Last One"
Confessions of a Muslim woman
In her debut novel, Fatima Daas makes use of traditional narrative forms reminiscent of Koranic suras. The piercing, insistent rhythm of her writing style addresses topical issues such as same-sex love, gender and questions concerning her identity as a French woman with Algerian heritage. Volker Kaminski read the book
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Book review: Christy Lefteri's "The Beekeeper of Aleppo"
Escaping hell on earth
They have lost everything; they are deeply traumatised – and yet they refuse to give up hope. In “The Beekeeper of Aleppo“, bestselling author Christy Lefteri focuses on the plight of thousands and thousands of refugees. Dagmar Wolf read the book