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 ]
ON JULY 2 of this year, I interviewed the author Nadia Terranova at her mother’s house in Santa Marinella, Italy, on a Zoom call from my apartment in Santa Monica, California. Back in 2015, I’d written a review of her first novel Gli anni al contrario (The Years in Reverse) and we’d met for... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-10-27 17:00:01 UTC ]
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With Halloween fast-approaching, I feel the need (along with every other person on the book internet) to remind you that one of the scariest things imaginable might happen: your local indie bookstore might close. Their fate is in your hands. Go on and pick up one (or two or three) of these new... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-27 13:16:05 UTC ]
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Jimmy Fallon, local authors and devoted regulars are rallying to help Once Upon a Time in Montrose — the country's oldest kids' bookstore — survive the pandemic that has destroyed so many small businesses. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-10-27 12:00:02 UTC ]
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Check out wonderful picture book biographies of inspiring Black icons, including Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-10-26 10:33:00 UTC ]
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In her 20s, she set up her own company, publishing everyone from James Ellroy to the Worst Witch series, and changing Britain for the better, book by book There is a revealing story Margaret Busby tells, about the first novel she published. A family friend had bumped into a former US serviceman... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-10-22 05:00:17 UTC ]
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In this David-versus-Goliath battle, mom-and-pop bookstores wrapped themselves in Amazon's familiar brown cardboard as a protest against the retail giant and a plea to shop local. The Instagram-ready stunt, with Amazon lookalike boxes covered in sick literary burns and topical quips, came... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2020-10-19 20:06:41 UTC ]
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How does one browse in a dark bookstore? Picture row upon row of faced-out books lit like tiny billboards floating in an inky black room, small candle lit café tables as little islands of light between hundreds of glowing covers… That’s basically the scene at Wuguan Bookstore in Kaohsiung,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-19 15:08:32 UTC ]
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David McKee’s now-revered picture book Tusk Tusk was once banned in a number of libraries in the UK, the illustrator said after celebrating winning this year’s BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-18 16:44:34 UTC ]
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Independent booksellers are desperate for customers to return, and not just for an online reading. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-10-15 09:00:28 UTC ]
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No Exit Press will publish Russell Banks’ new novel Foregone as a lead fiction title in June 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-13 01:47:40 UTC ]
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Books Beneath the Bridge: Greenlight Poetry Salon Monday, October 12, 7pm EDT For the eighth season of Books Beneath the Bridge, a literature series hosted by the Brooklyn Bridge Park, Greenlight Bookstore will be hosting a virtual edition of their quarterly Poetry Salon, hosted and curated by... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-12 10:00:38 UTC ]
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W.W. Norton's Liveright imprint publicity director Peter Miller moonlights as a bookstore owner in Brooklyn—and he's working with Books Through Bars to get books into the hands of the imprisoned. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Interviews Janet Wong is a graduate of Yale Law School and a former lawyer who switched careers to become a children’s author. Her dramatic career change has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN’s Paula Zahn Show, and Radical Sabbatical. She... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-10-05 14:35:32 UTC ]
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Vroman's Bookstore is just one of many independent bookstores in danger of closing as a result of the pandemic. It's not too late to save them. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-10-05 10:00:03 UTC ]
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William Heinemann is publishing the first novel in almost 20 years from actor, writer and director Ethan Hawke: A Bright Ray of Darkness. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-05 04:15:41 UTC ]
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Emma Layfield, Hachette Children's Group picture book development director (North), has acquired three picture books from spoken-word poet Tony Walsh as her first acquisition in her new role in Hachette's Manchester office. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-05 02:22:05 UTC ]
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Book Club, an indie on Manhattan's Lower East Side, was only open for a few months before the pandemic hit. Since then, its owners have gotten creative, and are raising the store’s profile. Here's how. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Interviews Monica Brown is the author of the Lola Levine chapter book series, Sarai chapter book series, and many award-winning picture books, including Waiting for the Biblioburro (illus. John Parra), Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match / Marisol McDonald... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-10-01 15:44:23 UTC ]
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Today the Center for Fiction announced the shortlist for its 2020 First Novel Prize. The prize, first awarded in 2006, recognizes the best debut fiction of the year, and it comes with $15,000; each finalist receives $1,000. Previous winners include De’Shawn Charles Winslow, Tommy Orange, and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-01 15:05:06 UTC ]
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Author-illustrator Emily Gravett caps off a busy 12 months with her new picture book Too Much Stuff, a tale about how less can often be more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-01 10:27:38 UTC ]
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