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: #london book fair #first novel #bookstore #picture book #man booker international prize

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

Writers and critics on the best books of 2013

Hilary Mantel, Jonathan Franzen, Mohsin Hamid, Ruth Rendell, Tom Stoppard, Malcolm Gladwell, Eleanor Catton and many more recommend the books that impressed them this yearChimamanda Ngozi AdichieFive Star Billionaire by Tash Aw (Fourth Estate) is a brilliant, sprawling, layered and unsentimental... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #deep understanding

Bauer unveils digital brand The Debrief aimed at 20-something wealthy women

Publisher of Heat says The Debrief will have aggregated news and sex advice for connected, influential readersBauer Media is the latest mainstream UK publisher to jump on the social mobile bandwagon, unveiling plans for The Debrief, a multiplatform digital brand aimed at "constantly connected,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #allowing users #mail online #tablet users

Why are writers being curbed by NSA surveillance?

PEN American Center's report "Chilling Effects," offers some disturbing data about the effect of government surveillance on free expression and self-censorship in the literary world.PEN American Center’s report “Chilling Effects,” officially released Tuesday morning, offers some disturbing data... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #literary world #free expression #government surveillance

Hilton Als blurs the lines in 'White Girls'

Hilton Als' 'White Girls' is a magnificent collection of essays that mixes criticism and memoir, fiction and nonfiction.Hilton Als' "White Girls" is as much about white girls as the author's previous effort "The Women" was about femininity — which is to say quite a lot and not at all. Like its... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

The 2013 Ubud Writers & Readers Festival

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, a destination literary and arts festival created in response to the Bali bombings in 2002 Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #10th anniversary #year marks

One Year Later, Medium Is Changing the Way Its Writers Write and Its Readers Read

It was just more than a year ago that Ev Williams and Biz Stone created the publishing platform Medium. The Internet officially met the site in August 2012, and since then, Medium&rsquo;s popularity has grown enough for even the most ske ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Fortune's Most Powerful Women List Has Lots of Tech Stars, With She-Can-Do-Anything Spotlight on Facebook's Sandberg

I say we scramble all the private jets in Silicon Valley and get the "Lean In" book star to D.C. to lean on some pols to open the government again, tout de suite! Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #silicon valley

Publishing System Helps Writers Determine Audience Interest

InboundWriter wants to help big publishers and niche bloggers figure out how much demand there is for their idea in the Web ecosystem before they type a word or hit "publish." At least that's the idea behind the newest version of the startup's software, which the company said will be used by... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #research tool #search engines

Gollancz buys Al Robertson

Gollancz has signed a sci-fi debut from British author Al Robertson in a pre-empt ahead of an... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #sci-fi debut

George R.R. Martin's new novella will be a part of the anthology 'Dangerous Women'

'Dangerous Women,' which is co-edited by George R.R. Martin, will be released Dec. 3. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Man Booker Prize long list includes writers Colum McCann, Tash Aw

While some books on this year's Man Booker prize long list have gotten buzz here in the US, none of them compare (so far) with the success of last year's winner, Hilary Mantel's 'Bring Up the Bodies.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #hilary mantel #tash aw

High-profile moves a 'retrograde' step for women

The departure of Victoria Barnsley from HarperCollins, and the appointment of Dame Gail Rebuck to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #victoria barnsley

Barnes, Franzen, Al-Khalili on Warwick Prize longlist

The latest longlist for the biennial Warwick Prize for Writing (£25,000) has pitted... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Sheffield authors triumph at Northern Writers' Awards

Twenty-two published and unpublished authors last night (18th) shared the £40,000 prize... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #unpublished authors #northern writers

Reprint for A M Homes after Women's Prize win

Granta is reprinting 60,000 copies of A M Homes' May We Be Forgiven after it scooped the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

'Dazzling' Homes scoops Women’s Prize for Fiction

The American novelist A M Homes has won the 2013 Women's Prize for Fiction for her... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #american novelist

Baileys new sponsor for Women's Prize for Fiction

Baileys has become the new sponsor for the Women's Prize for Fiction, with the cream liqueur... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Amazon's Kindle Worlds will allow writers to sell fan fiction

The digital publishing platform will let fans write, publish, and sell the stories they've written based on popular books, TV shows, and more. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #tv shows #popular books #kindle worlds

Amazon launches Kindle Worlds publishing platform for fan fiction, will pay royalties to writers and rights holders

Amazon's taken a number of steps to bring different types of content to the Kindle Store, and it's now venturing into an area that has a long history with the internet: fan fiction. The company's today announced Kindle Worlds, a new publishing platform that promises to pay writers royalties for... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #kindle worlds #press release #finer details #vampire diaries #gossip girl #alloy entertainment #warner bros