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 ]
Author and illustrator Rob Biddulph has been announced as Illustrator of the London Book Fair (LBF). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-17 01:30:59 UTC ]
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The British Council, in partnership with the Sharjah Book Authority, has announced the Sharjah Market Focus Cultural Programme for the London Book Fair 2020, featuring 12 prominent writers from the UAE. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-16 19:53:13 UTC ]
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Scholastic and Penguin Random House retained their #1 spots in our rankings of children’s frontlist fiction and picture book bestsellers by corporation, respectively, though each company’s share of positions on its list diminished slightly from 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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LOS ANGELES–BASED AUTHOR Mark Z. Danielewski recently published a strange picture book called The Little Blue Kite. The project marks an unexpected pivot from his most recent experimental quintet, The Familiar: Volumes 1–5 (2015–’17), which Danielewski described as a “love letter” to his home... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-02-14 20:00:12 UTC ]
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Please note: you must have a pass to the London Book Fair in order to attend this talk. Wednesday 11 Mar 2020,10:00 - 11:00As the UK’s international cultural relations body, British Council facilitate collaborative exchange between artists and arts organisations in the UK and overseas. In this... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-02-14 10:26:57 UTC ]
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Bookshop Santa Cruz in California and Changing Hands Bookstore in Arizona, have partnered in a drive to register Arizona voters and persuade them to vote Democrat in this year's presidential election. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookstore sales, which struggled for most of the year, ended 2019 with a weak December and finished the year with a 5.7% sales drop compared to 2018, according to preliminary estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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'The Resisters,' Gish Jen's first novel in nine years, imagines a class-based dystopian United States. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-02-06 15:00:56 UTC ]
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Walk into a contemporary bookstore and self-help manuals are likely to be among the first books you’ll see. In my local Barnes & Noble, a “self-improvement” section is featured in the vestibule, luring customers before they even open the store’s main doors. Inside the store, the boundary... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-01-29 09:49:07 UTC ]
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Canadian independent publisher (and bookstore!) Biblioasis has printed up a limited run of indie bookseller trading cards, featuring heroic comic book portraits of prominent booksellers. Why? Well, for starters, this week is the annual independent booksellers conference in Baltimore, the ABA’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-01-21 13:40:31 UTC ]
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From bestsellers to textbooks, stolen content is easily found on a 14-year-old hosting service operated by Microsoft’s social network. Mid-level writers are hurt the most. If you want to purchase a copy of The Institute, Stephen King’s latest novel about supernatural kids, you could find it at... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-01-15 13:00:52 UTC ]
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Highlighting gains made by the 'human sciences' amid social unrest in France, booksellers also cite a strong showing in comics. The post France’s Bookstore Report: A ‘Positive Assessment’ for 2019 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-01-13 13:30:45 UTC ]
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He didn’t publish his first novel (which he illustrated himself) until he was 46. But his impact, as both a writer and an artist, has lasted. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-01-11 01:15:42 UTC ]
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The new online bookstore intended to benefit indies is nearly ready to go, and will launch January 28. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-01-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has scooped the début picture book from “Queer Eye” star Jonathan Van Ness about a gender non-binary guinea pig. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-08 06:46:35 UTC ]
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Such a Fun Age is Franzenesque in its interest in how we live now—but in a quieter register. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2020-01-07 12:30:00 UTC ]
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Sara Collins has won the Costa First Novel Award for her gothic romance, The Confessions of Frannie Langton (Viking), in a stellar year for début authors after three out of the five award categories were won by first-time writers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-06 21:35:49 UTC ]
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Read these spectacular picture books featuring human main characters from a marginalized community. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-01-06 11:32:03 UTC ]
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Author-illustrator Benji Davies reveals how his latest picture book spawned from a single sketch. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-25 06:16:49 UTC ]
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Julia Cowlishaw has been named the new CEO of Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, Calif., and Book Soup in West Hollywood, Calif., She begins on January 6. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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