Letter to Mohamed Choukri: Writing between Silence and Prattle, by Mohamed Berrada Cultural Cross Sections [email protected] Wed, 08/07/2024 - 15:25 Mohamed Choukri (left) and Mohamed Berrada / Photo courtesy the estate of Mohamed ChoukriIn the introduction to Mohamed Berrada’s Ward wa Ramād (Flowers and Ashes, 2000), a work featuring the correspondence between Berrada (b. 1938) and Mohamed Choukri (1935–2003) that spans almost two decades, Berrada describes his first meeting with Choukri: أول مرة تعرفت فيها على محمد شكري، حين التقيته خلال عطلة صيف 1972 بشارع باستور بطنجة...كان يمسك برسن كلب كبير ويمشي بتلقائية وسط زحمة الناس. كنت قد قرأت له نصوصا بمجلة "الآداب" وسمعت أخبارا مليئة بالمبالغات عن حياته الخاصة. تواعدنا على اللقاء في المساء. ولفت نظري خلال محاثتنا التي امتدت إلى ساعة متأخرة من تلك الليلة، أن شكري أبعد ما يكون عن الصورة التي يرسمها له المعجبون: كان رزينا في حواره، وعقلانيا في حججه، جريئا في طروحاته ونقده لما يقرأ. لم يكن مشدودا إلى "أسطورة" ماضية، بل كان مفتح العينين على حاضره، يعيش أقرب ما يكون إلى الواقع المعقد المتسارع في تحولاته. وأعجبني أنه لم يكن يلغي ذاته وهو يتحدث أو يختبئ وراء العبارات الأدبية التي يلجأ إليها الكثير من المثقفين. I first met Mohamed Choukri in the summer of 1972 on Rue Pasteur in Tangier. He was walking casually through the crowd, firmly clutching the leash of a large dog. I had read his literary works in the journal, Al-Adab, and had heard exaggerated stories about his private life. We... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2024-08-07 20:25:04 UTC ]
The Spanish philosopher and poet George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As a genre, historical fiction allows us to shuttle back in time to stand in the shoes, clogs, chopines, and go-go boots of people—real and imagined—to consider the... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2019-07-15 11:00:13 UTC ]
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As publishers vie to persuade us to pack their titles for the holidays, we chart the evolution of the ’beach read’Summer reads, beach reads, holiday reads … at this time of year, the publishing world works itself into a sweat trying to force its novels into our carry-on luggage, or over the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-07-14 07:00:23 UTC ]
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Businesses and public policy makers are tapping novelists to imagine the path forward. But how much stock should we put in the predictions of storytellers? Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2019-07-12 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Cultural Cross Sections Margaret Randall Children’s choir at the 2014 La Matanza Book Fair / Photo by Mauro Rico / Ministerio de Cultura de la Nación / Flickr When good engineers or scientists emigrate, they are able to continue their work. Novelists... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-07-10 21:07:28 UTC ]
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The New York Times invited Asian-American authors to choose photos from our archives and write short young-adult fiction inspired by them. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-06-28 17:18:37 UTC ]
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Claire Adam has won the £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize for first-time novelists with her "electrifying" debut Golden Child (Faber). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-18 18:50:22 UTC ]
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News and Events WLT Norman, Okla. (June 11, 2019) – Robert Con Davis-Undiano, Neustadt Professor and executive director of the World Literature Today organization at the University of Oklahoma, this week announced the names of nine writers to be the jury... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-06-10 16:04:37 UTC ]
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At the Digiday Video Summit, publishers discussed the merits (and lack thereof) of Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, Netflix and Twitter. The post Publishers’ candid thoughts on video: ‘We’re a bunch of sheep’ appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2018-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Following the release of the latest VIDA stats, Julia Kingsford looks at equality, or the lack thereof, in publishing. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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