London, the New Capital of Middle Eastern and North African Arts, Culture, Music, and Literature, by Malu Halasa

Culture Street mural for Grenfell Tower, with poem by Ben Okri, North Kensington, London, image courtesy of IranWire and #PaintTheChange. London-based writer Malu Halasa canvasses the Middle Eastern and North African culture scene in London, where even in lockdown, there’s still much to experience. London makes travelers think of high tea and empire. For those of us who live here and have a passion for and write about the Middle East, London has emerged, more than New York or Paris, as a capital of Arab and Iranian culture outside the region. London has emerged, more than New York or Paris, as a capital of Arab and Iranian culture outside the region. It was not always like this. In the 1990s, relatively few Middle East–related events took place in London. Yet in the past twenty years that I’ve lived here, London has been transformed. The change started taking place in the 2000s. In part, political events, 9/11, and, ten years later, the 2011 Arab Spring or Awakening, as well as the wars in between and after 2011, prompted writers, journalists, and activists to forgo the usual conversation about winners and losers of regional conflicts. Instead, we began to look to creative expression from these countries and in the diaspora for a different kind of understanding and engagement. It was an approach that continued the conversations many of us were having with the people and voices that came onto the streets and in the squares... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2021-04-19 19:22:28 UTC ]

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What We're Reading December 2020

Take a look at previous What We’re Reading blogs for more reading inspiration.Don’t Worry, Little Crab by Chris HaughtonAll Chris Haughton’s delightful picture books for young children open with a quotation, which the story then evinces. His latest, surprisingly, quotes Anaïs Nin: ‘Life shrinks... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2020-12-08 12:08:02 UTC ]
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Sinéad O’Connor memoir out June with Sandycove

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-08 08:41:00 UTC ]
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We Need to Talk About England

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Why I Bought a Bookstore at 29

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[ The New York Times | 2020-12-05 16:27:56 UTC ]
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Rodchenkov wins £30K William Hill Sports Book of the Year

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-03 21:02:42 UTC ]
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[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-03 16:23:15 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: December 3, 2020

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Booksellers See Subdued In-Store Holiday Sales, Online Eruption

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Natasha Trethewey’s Memorial Drive is being adapted for TV.

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-02 19:07:37 UTC ]
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Hayley Mills' 'unique memoir' to W&N

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[ The New York Times | 2020-11-30 19:59:24 UTC ]
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