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 ]
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A recent roundup of the ‘best books of 2021’ had every possible genre of novel – with the unsurprising exception of romanceIn the four months since my first novel came out, I’ve had the same conversation probably a dozen times.“What’s it about?” a well-meaning stranger will ask. “Well,” I’ll... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-12-05 15:25:24 UTC ]
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The main character in “The Lyrics” is his best friend and fiercest rival, John Lennon Continue reading at The Economist
[ The Economist | 2021-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Northern Writers’ Awards has opened for submissions with a chance to win a share of £40,000 in development opportunities as former winner Benjamin Myers (pictured) launches a new short story category. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-03 20:45:57 UTC ]
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Journalist Philip Clark and novelist and essayist Javier Montes have been named as the winners of the Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer’s Award, at a reception at the British Library. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-01 10:40:51 UTC ]
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Yasmine Awwad, Sophie Meadows and Mathelinda Nabugodi have been shortlisted for the Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award, chosen from 983 entries this year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-01 09:27:14 UTC ]
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The London Library is releasing its second anthology featuring work from its Emerging Writers programme. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-01 01:29:13 UTC ]
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Substack is starting a "concerted push" to bring more UK based writers to the platform, and has appointed Farrah Storr as a new head of partnerships for the region. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-30 08:13:23 UTC ]
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Dar Al Jadeed Publishing House, the Lebanese publisher, has been awarded the 2021 IPA Prix Voltaire by the International Publishers Association’s Freedom to Publish Committee. Its cofounder, a prominent critic of Hezbollah, was murdered in February. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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A free workshop for writers of colour is being organised by The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-22 20:37:24 UTC ]
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The Hay Festival and the Women's Prize are some of the literature organisations to have benefitted from the latest round of the government’s Culture Recovery Fund administered through Arts Council England. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-22 05:55:21 UTC ]
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Kate Mosse and Sunny Singh have revealed the opposition facing their book prizes, with people at first accusing the Jhalak of "diluting literary merit". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-20 05:15:55 UTC ]
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Titles exploring climate change, expressing difficult emotions and exploring the wonders of the scientific world have been shortlisted this year for the Society of Authors (SoA) and Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society (ALCS) Educational Writers’ Award. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-16 00:18:25 UTC ]
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Authors including Elizabeth Day, June Sarpong and Dolly Alderton are among those supporting a new T-shirt initiative to spotlight iconic female writers, launched by the Women's Prize Trust. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-14 18:47:39 UTC ]
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The updated schedule for the United Kingdom's Young Writer of the Year Award will put its shortlist and winners' announcements into the new year. The post London’s Young Writer Award of the Year Names Its Jurors appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-11-10 14:50:29 UTC ]
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The Working Class Writers' Festival is urging publishers to demonstrate their commitment to diversity by investing in sponsorship for next year's event. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-10 12:00:51 UTC ]
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Author and journalist Mary Ann Sieghart will chair the judging panel for the Women’s Prize for Fiction for 2022, with fellow judges including writers Dorothy Koomson, Anita Sethi, Pandora Sykes and Lorraine Candy. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-08 15:25:38 UTC ]
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'Sometimes we can become prisoners of our preconceptions,' the International Publishers Association's Bodour Al Qasimi tells colleagues in Sharjah. The post At Sharjah: IPA President Bodour Al Qasimi on Diversity in Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-11-02 02:24:56 UTC ]
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Jeanette Winterson has joined the online platform Substack and been named its new writer in residence for November. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-01 06:46:24 UTC ]
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Maria Stepanova and Sasha Dugdale (her translator from Russian) feature twice on this year's longlist for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation, while Fitzcarraldo Editions, which has had a work longlisted every year of the prize, has four titles nominated in 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-27 20:49:22 UTC ]
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The International Publishers Association's officers were engaged at Frankfurt Book Fair, Bodour Al Qasimi leading activities and messaging. The post The IPA’s Al Qasimi at Frankfurt: A Voice in the World’s Development Dialogue appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-10-26 15:41:40 UTC ]
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