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 ]
News tagged with: #salha obaid #london book fair #first novel #bookstore #picture book #man booker international prize

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Beyond Jokha al-Harthi: Women Writers from the Gulf'


Reviving Literary Legacies: When Women’s Stories Finally Get Told

Rebecca Rego Barry, author of 'The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells,' on researching the prolific mystery author—whose name, which once regularly graced the pages of the 'New York Times' and this very magazine, has been all but forgotten. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:


4 New Books About Trailblazing Women

Four new books out this week zero in on various aspects of American life that women quietly helped pioneer, from fashion photography and spycraft to car culture and crosswords. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trailblazing women #american life


UK: The Sunday Times Young Writer 2024 Shortlist

Praising 'their attentiveness to the world,' the 2024 Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year jury names four authors to its shortlist. The post UK: The Sunday Times Young Writer 2024 Shortlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-02-27 17:20:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post uk #young writer


12 Brilliant Short Stories by Black Writers to Read Year-Round

From one girl’s aspiration to Olympic gymnastics glory, to a boy’s stint living in the Idaho wilderness in hopes of fixing his unruly behavior, something that remains a guiding principle in Black storytelling is the breadth of our lives. These stories, a collection of some of EL’s most-loved... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-02-22 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #black writers #guiding principle #electric literature #short stories


3 New Biographies of Visionary Writers

Probing the lives and work Barbara Comyns, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Carson McCullers, these literary biographies, out this week, take a fresh look at three of our most visionary writers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:


From Harry Potter to Taylor Swift: how millennial women grew up with fandoms, and became a force

Fans who were girls in the era of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Twilight are now the women who have powered the success of Barbie and the Eras Tour. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2024-02-18 19:51:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #taylor swift #hunger games #harry potter


Breaking Traditions: Gen Z and Millennial Women Transform Super Bowl

Women have always watched the Super Bowl, with Nielsen reporting that in 2018, women made up nearly half of Super Bowl viewers--surpassing the combined female viewership of the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys. Brands, marketers and the NFL have begun to embrace female... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2024-02-08 21:53:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #super bowl #nielsen


3 New Debut Novels by Black Women Authors

Three Black women novelists make their debut with tales of inheritance, friendship, and alternate futures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut novels #novelists


Palestinian-American writer Randa Jarrar was dragged out of a PEN event.

Despite mounting objections from within the American literary community (as well as public condemnation from two prominent novelists who recently cut ties with the organization), on Wednesday evening PEN America’s Los Angeles branch went ahead with its hosting of a conversation between stand-up... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-02-02 19:14:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #prominent novelists #novelists #literary community


How Womb House Became the Internet’s Favorite ‘Women-Driven’ Bookstore

Womb House Books owner Jessica Ferri's carefully curated listings have turned her online storefront into the favorite bookseller of Emma Roberts, Natalie Portman, and thousands of Etsy customers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online storefront #natalie portman #bookseller


In 'Expats,' Lulu Wang centers not only the lives of women but a changing Hong Kong

Lulu Wang's "Expats," premiering Friday on Prime Video, is an adaptation of Janice Y. K. Lee's bestselling book that stars Nicole Kidman and examines the intersection of the lives of three women living in Hong Kong. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-01-25 19:17:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lulu wang #prime video #hong kong #bestselling book #lulu


Three trailblazing women in media who've been forgotten – until now

Mae D Huettig, Romana Javitz and Shirley Graham DuBois were instrumental in their respective media fields but very few of us will be aware of their individual contributions. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2024-01-22 21:21:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trailblazing women #women in media


End Notes: 'The Women' by Kristin Hannah

An inside look at the publication process for the bestselling author’s latest novel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #end notes #kristin hannah #publication process #bestselling author


Women Ruled the 2023 Bestseller List

Colleen Hoover, who reigned supreme in 2022, also had a stellar 2023, and was joined by Rebecca Yarros in dominating the charts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #colleen hoover #reigned supreme #rebecca yarros


Four New Books on Overlooked Writers

In their lifetimes, these authors’ work went largely unappreciated. These books honor their literary legacies. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


A sense of place: Brooklyn writers on why they love the borough

Novelists in Brooklyn draw inspiration from the New York borough’s cast of thousands, and particularly from its idiosyncratic neighborhoods. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2023-12-21 19:46:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #novelists


Novelist's book is canceled after she acknowledges 'review bombs' of other writers

A debut author who used fake accounts to “review bomb” other writers on the influential online platform Goodreads has been dropped by her agent and had her book deal cancelled Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-12-13 02:46:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake accounts #book deal #debut author


Pink Dystopia: Gabrielle Korn on How a Decade in Women’s Media Inspired Her Novel

Science fiction made me want to be a writer. As a child in the ‘90s I read Interstellar Pig because my older sister loved it, and that’s when it started—a lifelong obsession with alternate universes, aliens, time travel, dystopia; a compulsion to read and eventually tell stories to make sense of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-12 09:52:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #time travel #make sense #science fiction


A.S. Byatt, British writer and author of Booker Prize-winning 'Possession,' dies at 87

British author A.S. Byatt, who was known for award-winning works including 'Possession' and 'The Children's Book,' has died. She was 87. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-11-17 17:18:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #british writer #booker prize-winning #british author