Joumana Haddad’s “The Book of Queens”: a Review
Laila Halaby on the new novel from Lebanon's multilingual feminist poet and powerhouse.
Book Reviews
Egyptian Comedic Novel Captures Dark Tale of Bedouin Migrants
Saliha Haddad reviews the third novel in English translation by Egyptian writer Hamdi Abu Golayyel.
Abū Ḥamza’s Bread
In which Philip Grant muses on Ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq’s tenth century cookbook, "Kitāb aṭ-Ṭabīkh" and cooking and baking 12 centuries later.
Ghosts of Beirut: a Review of “displaced”
Karén Jallatyan reviews the book of Beirut's Armenian community with photography by Ara Oshagan and an essay by Krikor Beledian.
Mohamed Metwalli’s “A Song by the Aegean Sea” Reviewed
Sherine Elbanhawy finds that Mohamed Metwalli’s newly-translated poetry collection is the perfect form of escapism.
The Art of Remembrance in Abacus of Loss
Sherine Elbanhawy lives in the pages of a memoir in verse and finds herself reluctant to leave, identifying with how its author unpacks the complexities of exile, home, family and love.
Nadia Murad Speaks on Behalf of Women Heroes of War
Women's rights activist Maryam Zar reviews the memoir by a valiant survivor of ISIS who won the Nobel Peace Prize for speaking out on her experience.
A Miscarriage of Justice in the Case of Mahmood Hussain Mattan
Rana Asfour reviews the Booker Prize-nominated novel by Nadifa Mohamed based on the true story of a wrongly-convicted Somali in 1950s Cardiff.
“A Tunisian Revolt” — the Rebel Power of Arab Comics
Writer-translator Nada Ghosn talks to the illustrator of a new graphic novel recounting one of Tunisia's earliest uprisings, in 1984, presaging the Jasmine Revolution.
Poetic Justice: 70+ Contemporary Poets of Morocco
Amazigh Moroccan poet El Habib Louai reviews a recent anthology that has warmed the hearts of English-reading Moroccans during the pandemic.
Hananah Zaheer’s “Lovebirds”? Don’t Be Fooled by the Title
Mehnaz Afridi reviews the new book of short stories by a Pakistani American writer determined to disrupt her readers' expectations.
Arabic and Latin, Cosmopolitan Languages of the Premodern Mediterranean and its Hinterlands
Justin Stearns, a scholar of the pre-modern Muslim Middle East, reviews the new book by Karla Mallette on the fascinating history of two of the world's great languages.
Meditations on The Ungrateful Refugee
Rana Asfour shares her thoughts on the widely-celebrated book from Dina Nayeri, who writes that escaping and becoming a refugee preoccupied her life for more than 20 years.
Gaza Melancholic
Author and SOAS professor Gilbert Achcar reviews the latest book from Gaza scholar Sara Roy.
Temptations of the Imagination: how Jana Elhassan and Samar Yazbek transmogrify the world
Rana Asfour provides an intimate look at two new Arab novels in translation, from Lebanese and Syrian authors.