Arabic literature
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New Choukri translationThe absurdist frame
In Mohamed Choukri's varied and experimental collection "Tales of Tangier" the hyperreal meets the bizarre. The off-kilter stories put forward by the late author seem to be set spinning on their edges, so fast and wild they might just fly off the page
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Zakaria Tamer's "Sour Grapes"Always subversive
Playing with language in his short-short collection "Sour Grapes" – now in English translation – Syrian writer Zakaria Tamer doesn't hesitate to employ the winking humour, quick reversals and archetypes that are a part of his wide appeal
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Najat Abed Alsamad's "Kein Wasser stillt ihren Durst"Searching for life
Najat Abed Alsamad's award-winning novel, "La Ma'a Yarwiha", has been published in German translation as "Kein Wasser stillt ihren Durst" (No water quenches her thirst). In it, she tells the story of a young Druze woman who roundly rejects the traditional rules imposed on her by her parents and relatives and begins a long fight for her freedom
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Sherko Fatah's Great WishA daughter estranged
In his new novel "Der große Wunsch", award-winning author Sherko Fatah tells the story of a father whose daughter meets a supporter of IS and follows him to the Syrian war zone
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A year of war in Sudan"We haven't lived in dignity for a long time"
In her debut novel "A Mouth Full of Salt", Sudanese author and physician Reem Gaafar tells the intertwined stories of three women who are confronted with injustice. A conversation about responsible writing, role models and the forgotten war in Sudan
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Sudanese literatureChildren to fill the entire earth
Stella Gaitano's debut novel "Edo's Souls", set between Sudan and South Sudan, stages an epic battle between the forces of Motherhood and Death
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Fikra culture magazineShowcasing Palestinian perspectives
Fikra culture magazine publishes literature and art by Palestinians from all over the world. The editors hope it will serve as a platform for the dispersed community to debate and dream – and defend itself against censorship from all sides
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Ali Al-Kurdi's novel "Der Schamaya-Palast“A heavy burden
Palestinian author Ali Al-Kurdi fled to Syria with his family as a child. In his novel, he recounts the fate of the Palestinians who found shelter in the Jewish quarter of Damascus
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10/11, not 9/11New literary agency for a new approach
Specialising in bold, exciting, contemporary Arabic literature, 10/11 literary agents Sandra Hetzl and Katharine Halls talk to Marcia Lynx Qualey about their tastes and selection criteria, how they divide their work, and what they love (and don't) about literary agenting
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Adania Shibli, the Frankfurt Book Fair and the LiBeraturpreisLitprom under fire
Palestinian author Adania Shibli was to have received Litprom's LiBeraturpreis at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Writers from around the world have criticised the organisation in an open letter for postponing the award ceremony. By Nikolas Fischer
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'They Fell Like Stars from the Sky'Sheikha Helawy's joyous, rebellious passions
Their bodies might be displaced, torn away from homes and villages. Yet the memories of women and girls in Sheikha Helawy's short-story collection "They Fell Like Stars from the Sky" remain, haunting the spaces where they once lived. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the book
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Algeria – wasteland for Arabic literatureBig Brother is watching you
In May 2023, Algerian author Said Khatibi won the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Award in the young author category for his historical crime novel "Nihayat al-Sahra'" – in English, 'the End of the Sahara'. Claudia Mende caught up with Khatibi in Abu Dhabi for Qantara.de