Cairo controversy: Egyptian publisher banned from book fair as owner languishes in jail
The Cairo Book Fair, held annually every January, is one of the biggest book fairs in the world, and the oldest and largest of its kind in the Middle East.… Read more »
Forthcoming book chronicles the story of Qandeel Baloch
This past Sunday, the Guardian featured a piece by Rachel Cooke on fellow journalist Sanam Maher and her book A Woman Like Her: The Short Life of Qandeel Baloch, which is out… Read more »
Who can annex a gazelle?
Animals, with the exception of some humans, do not listen to election promises. But the successful campaign of Benyamin Netanyahu for his fifth term as Prime Minister of Israel held… Read more »
Women dominate the International Prize for Arabic Fiction shortlist – for the first time ever
Sometimes referred to as the ‘”Arabic Booker,” The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is the most prestigious literary prize in the Arab world. Launched in Abu Dhabi in April 2007, each author… Read more »
As more books are banned in Kuwait, activists rise up
Another Kuwait International Book Fair, another controversy. Now in its 43rd year, it is one of the most important book fairs in the Middle East. This year, running until 24th November, 505… Read more »
A $500,000 grant will help NYU Abu Dhabi make books in Arabic available to displaced populations all over the world
An Arabic digital library has received a $500,000 grant for its ongoing efforts to digitize Arabic texts and make their files accessible. Arabic Collections Online began as an academic undertaking at NYU… Read more »
Western authors take stand in Israel/Palestine conflict by refusing to be published in Israel
An Israeli publisher is finding it increasingly difficult to acquire translation rights to some of the year’s most important novels, mostly due to the reinvigorated support many writers are feeling… Read more »
Ok, so… Why Jerusalem? (Hint: It has a lot to do with a book you may have heard of.)
Last month, GQ set off a tempest in an evangelical teacup. The magazine published a feature titled “21 Books You Don’t Have to Read,” in which twenty-one different authors and GQ staffers… Read more »
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction shortlist is out!
The judges behind the International Prize for Arabic Fiction have announced their shortlist for this year’s award. Informally referred to as the “Arabic Booker”—and in fact modeled on the Man Booker Prize—the award, which… Read more »
Egypt continues its crackdown on authors, booksellers, and publishers
MobyLives has been covering Egypt’s depressingly long crackdown on intellectuals, writers, booksellers, and publishers for some time now, giving particular attention to the trials and tribulations of novelist Ahmed Naji. In… Read more »