The Butcher’s Assistant—a true story set in Alexandria
While studying abroad in Alexandria, Bel Parker becomes a butcher's apprentice to immerse herself in the local language and culture.
Arabic
“The Waiting Bones”—an essay by Maryam Haidari
As this writer from Khuzestan remembers, the long Iran-Iraq war left many traces, names and ghosts in its eight-year wake.
Unshackling Language in Arabic Children’s Literature
A children’s book publisher in the Middle East makes the case for teaching children to read in their mother tongues.
ADONIS in Translation—Kareem Abu-Zeid with Ivan Eubanks
Translator Kareem Abu-Zeid talks about the recent New Directions volume of the translated poems of Syrian maestro Adonis.
The End of Arabic and the Dumbing Down of America
What happens when public universities begin shutting down entire area studies departments, and learning foreign languages becomes a luxury?
The Artist at Work—a Conversation with Souad Massi
Jordan Elgrably interviews the Algerian-French iconoclast about her first album after Covid and about why she's devoted her life to freedom.
The Markaz Review Interview—Hisham Bustani
Rana Asfour interviews fellow Jordanian writer Hisham Bustani about his stories, writing in Arabic and ideas on history and quantum physics.
TMR’s Multilingual Lexicon of Love for Valentine’s Day
Expressions of love in Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish and Kurdish, to give Valentine's Day a new meaning.
Berlin-Based Palestinian Returns to Arabic in new Amrat Album
Music writer Melissa Chemam interviews Rasha Nahas on her new Arabic-language album, "Amrat."
Sudden Journeys: Morocco Encore
Jenine Abboushi in her latest travel essay, returns to Morocco for a long-overdue visit.
Faces Hidden in the Dust by Ghalib—Two Ghazals
Tony Barnstone and Bilal Shaw present their book of Ghabib ghazals, translated from the Urdu.
Translating Walter Benjamin on Berlin, a German-Arabic Journey
Ahmed Farouk, the Arabic translator of Günter Grass, W. G. Sebald and Rosa Luxemburg, among others, struggles with Walter Benjamin.
Two Women Artists Dialogue with Berlin and the Biennale
Viola Shafik profiles Jihan El-Tahiri and Myriam El Haïk, two Arab artists in the 2022 Berlin Biennale.
Libyan Stories from the novel “Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table”
The Markaz Review presents Libya's Mohammed al-Naas in these exclusive excerpts translated by Rana Asfour.
“Disappearance/Muteness”—Tales from a Life in Translation
A writer born into both Arabic and Hebrew linguistic traditions finds herself writing in English but longing for Arabic.