Beyond Jokha al-Harthi: Women Writers from the Gulf

When Jokha al-Harthi and Marilyn Booth won the Man Booker International Prize last year, for Booth’s translation of Sayyidat al-Qamr (Celestial Bodies), many hurried to note that al-Harthi was the “first Omani woman writer” to have a book in English translation.While true, this may give the mistaken impression that there is something new about women's writing from the Gulf. But women on the peninsula have been composing sophisticated literature for centuries. Al-Khansa (575-645 AD), who was born and died on the Arabian Peninsula, is said to have been told by an admiring male writer that she was “the greatest poet among those with breasts.” Al-Khansa is said to have replied, archly: “I am the greatest poet among those with testicles, too.” Her work can be read, in vibrant translation, in James Montgomery’s Loss Sings.Prominent poet-filmmaker Nujoom Ghanem, in a 2016 interview that focused on her literary ancestors, had a similar barb: “The majority of poets in our world are male, but quantity does not make quality.” Yet among the younger generation of writers, women often dominate. In Yemen, the UAE, Kuwait, and elsewhere, emerging women writers have been flooding into writing workshops and literary seminars. Each Gulf country could have its own list of 10 women writers. Here are just a few to seek out:Raja Alem (Saudi) – Alem was the first woman to co-win the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF), for her classic Mecca novel The Doves’ Necklace (translated by Adam... Continue reading at 'British Council global'

[ British Council global | 2020-02-19 10:26:57 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Beyond Jokha al-Harthi: Women Writers from the Gulf"

London Book Fair Reports ‘Around 30,000’ Attendees

The 2025 London Book Fair drew 'around 30,000' attendees and a 10-percent boost in rights-center table sales. The post London Book Fair Reports ‘Around 30,000’ Attendees appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-03-14 05:29:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this

First Day Sales Lift Barnes & Noble Education

Revenue rose 2.1% in the third quarter at B&NE, with the college bookstore turning a net loss last year into a profit in the most recent period. Still, long term profitability remains elusive. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

London Book Fair Week: ‘International Adults’ Hail UK Publishing

The United Kingdom’s Publishers Association has a survey describing the good reputation of the UK’s books. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson Reputational Value t’s already being cheered for its “Great Copyright Heist” description of the UK government’s AI “opt-out proposal”... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-03-10 11:54:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this

London Book Fair’s Adam Ridgway: ‘There’s a Lot To Learn’

Adam Ridgway on Tuesday opens his first London Book Fair as its director: 'A phenomenal event.' The post London Book Fair’s Adam Ridgway: ‘There’s a Lot To Learn’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-03-09 22:38:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this

‘Something magical is happening’: sales boom for children’s comics creating young readers of the future

Publishers and analysts say popularity of genres like manga and superhero comics is a gateway into readingThe best route to learning to love words in print could well be pictures. This, at least, is the hope of the publishing industry this spring, as it welcomes news that sales of children’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2025-03-09 14:00:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Chimamanda Adichie Is a Hopeless Romantic

Discussing Dream Count, her first novel in 12 years, the Nigerian author shares her thoughts on masculinity, political chaos, and the future of fiction. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2025-03-07 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Chimamanda Adichie’s Fiction Has Shed Its Optimism

The Nigerian American author’s first novel in 12 years depicts troubled relations between men and women—but no tidy resolutions. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2025-03-05 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Wordless Tales, Visual Magic, Genre-Bending: Ten New Children’s Books Out in March

When an artist friend came to visit me a few years ago, she remarked on the art hanging up in our house. “It’s all by picture book illustrators!” she said. And I laughed, because although she was perfectly right, I hadn’t even realized it until then. But I do love and admire picture book art, […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-03 09:58:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Remember This

The young woman—young, though nearly forty—stood with her head bent slightly toward the window of McNally Jackson bookstore on Prince Street. She had stopped mid-stride, was on her way somewhere—was, in fact, late—and to see her father’s image in a bookstore window was not anymore such a new... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-03 09:18:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Book Review: ‘Dream Count,’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In her first novel since “Americanah,” she draws on a real-life assault as she follows the lives of three Nigerian women and one of their former housekeepers. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2025-03-02 10:00:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Frankétienne, Father of Haitian Letters, Is Dead at 88

A prolific novelist, poet, painter and soothsayer, he was inspired by the chaos of his country and published the first novel written entirely in Haitian Creole. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2025-02-27 01:53:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The Things We Learned in the Fire: On the Destruction (and Rebirth) of a Bookstore

On July 30th, 2024, East Bay Booksellers in Oakland, California was completely destroyed by a fire. The bookstore (previously DIESEL, a Bookstore) had been in that location for thirty years. In the months that followed, its owner, Brad Johnson, began keeping a journal of thoughts. What follows... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-26 13:46:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Lit Hub Daily: February 26, 2025

Andrea Barrett on why writing fresh historical fiction means more than cosplaying the past. | Lit Hub Craft Bookstore owner Brad Johnson reflects on the total destruction, by fire, of East Bay Booksellers (and its rebirth!). | Lit Hub Bookstores Michael Hiltzik on how California made Ronald... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-26 11:30:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Richard Charkin: Approaching London Book Fair

Richard Charkin looks ahead to 'magic bullets' that may be offered to the book business at London Book Fair. The post Richard Charkin: Approaching London Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-02-24 22:47:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Writer quits Society of Authors over union’s ‘betrayal’ of Jerusalem bookshop raided by Israeli police

Matthew Teller, whose books include Nine Quarters of Jerusalem, said the society’s response to the event which saw two leading booksellers detained was ‘an abject failure’A writer has left the Society of Authors (SoA) in protest after the UK’s largest writers’ body made a statement on a recent... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2025-02-20 17:34:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Elyse Durham on Depicting the Artistic Side of the Cold War in Fiction

Elyse Durham’s immersive and thematically timely first novel centers on twin sisters, born during the Siege of Leningrad, trained as ballet dancers at the celebrated Vaganova, and launching their careers at the height of the Cold War. The plot is set to detonate at a critical point in the Cold... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-18 09:57:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The Magic of Finding Yourself in “The In-Between Bookstore”

Edward Underhill didn’t plan on having his debut adult fiction book, The In-Between Bookstore, featuring a trans main character, come out six days before the Trump inauguration, but it’s kind of perfect timing. Especially since the book features a time slip, where Darby Madden meets his younger... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-02-17 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

London Book Fair’s International Rights Center 2025

This year's London Book Fair International Rights Center will be on a single floor and 10 percent larger, Adam Ridgway says. The post London Book Fair’s International Rights Center 2025 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-02-14 23:11:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Book Deals: Week of February 17, 2025

A big-name picture book adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” goes to HarperCollins, Margaret Atwood brings a memoir to Doubleday, Sourcebooks picks up the memoir of the daughter of Gisele Pelicot, and more in this week’s book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this