#ArabLit Quarterly

[garadinervi]

Israeli Damage to Archives, Libraries, and Museums in Gaza, October 2023–January 2024, A Preliminary Report from Librarians and Archivists with Palestine (LAP), February 1, 2024 (pdf here)

Plus: A Talk About Israeli Damage to Archives, Libraries, and Museums in Gaza, by ArabLit Staff, ArabLit & ArabLit Quarterly, February 8, 2024

(image: «This is what remains of my younger brother's home library. My brother is an extraordinary scholar of Arabic language grammar and was about to earn his PhD and who has introduced six books into the Arabic language rich collection of scholarly books.» – Mosab Abu-Toha)

[arablit]

Announcing the Launch of our Spring 2024 Issue, with Majalla 28: 'Gaza! Gaza! Gaza!'

Copies of ArabLit Quarterly’s Spring 2024 issue are available for sale through our Gumroad store, at Amazon, and in select bookshops. As always, if you need a free e-copy, email us at info@arablit.org. All profits from this magazine go to our Gaza partners at Majalla 28. Also: Look for more about a launch event on Saturday, May 18, 2024. Mohammed and Mahmoud will be there if at all possible. In…

[kitchen-light]

For more Palestinian poems -- Arab Lit & Arab Lit Quarterly (who are also on here @ arablit) have produced and are updating a resource of Palestinian writers and the work they have produced called "Palestinian Poems with & for the Now" mostly written in the last four months.

[drsonnet]

You Don’t Need Your Glasses, Santa

You Don’t Need Your Glasses, Santa

By Basman Aldirawi

Translated by Tala Ladki

Do you see that black cloud over there, Santa?

There used to be a child from Gaza, waiting for a present.

Waiting to go out with his father to the Unknown Soldier’s Square:

To ride the little cars there.

To go to the beach.

To play with the sand and the waves.

To buy a cup of corn.

Then to go home, to sleep

under the sound of the buzzing, hovering warplanes:

the ones the child thought were a part of the sky,

………….the sounds of the universe.

Did he tell you about his dreams before he slept?

What were they?

Did he dream about living, growing old?

Or maybe, like other children, he told you that children in Gaza don’t grow old.

You don’t need to put on your glasses, Santa.

See that black cloud over there, the one that rose up from the bombings just a few hours ago?

Under it lie the murdered bodies of the child,

………….his father, his mother, and his siblings.

Under it lie the toys, the house,

………….and the whole neighborhood.

And an unanswered list of hopes and dreams.

لست بحاجة لارتداء نظاراتك، سانتا

هل ترى تلك السحابة السوداء هناك يا سانتا؟

هناك كان طفل من غزة

ينتظر هدية

ينتظر أن يخرج مع ابيه

إلى منتزه الجندي المجهول

أن يركب السيارات الصغيرة هناك

أن يذهب إلى البحر

يلعب مع الرمال والأمواج

ويشتري كوب من الذرة

ثم يعود إلى البيت لينام

تحت صوت الطائرة الزنانة

التي ظن الطفل أنها جزء من السماء وأصوات الكون

هل أخبرك عن أحلامه قبل أن ينام؟

ماذا كانت؟

هل حلم ان يعيش ويكبر؟

أو ربما أخبرك كطفل اخر أن الأطفال في غزة لا يكبرون؟

لست بحاجة لارتداء نظاراتك، سانتا

تلك السحابة السوداء الظاهرة هناك

المرتفعة من قصف قبل ساعات

قتل تحتها الطفل والأب والام والاخوة

قتل تحتها ألع��ب وبيت وشارع

ولائحة غير مستلمة من الأمنيات والأحلام

Basman Aldirawi (also published as Basman Derawi) is a physiotherapist and a graduate of Al-Azhar University in Gaza in 2010. Inspired by an interest in music, movies, and people with special needs, he contributes dozens of stories to the online platform We Are Not Numbers.

Tala Ladki is from Beirut, Lebanon. After graduating with a BA in Media and Communications, she worked in marketing for several years before deciding to switch gears. She’s currently pursuing her MA in Creative Writing in hopes of starting a career in writing and publishing.

New Poetry from & for Gaza: ‘You Don’t Need Your Glasses, Santa’ – ARABLIT & ARABLIT QUARTERLY

[nedsecondline]

Short Stories by 10 Palestinian Women, in English Translation – ARABLIT & ARABLIT QUARTERLY

Source: Short Stories by 10 Palestinian Women, in English Translation – ARABLIT & ARABLIT QUARTERLY

[baublefobbersleuth]

Zakaria Mohammed’s Poem ‘2013-1-2’

The September edition of Poetry magazine publishes 3 poems by Palestinian poet Zakaria Mohammed. English translations by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha accompany the Arabic texts. She publishes a translator’s note as well. The poet’s death on August 2, 2023, is noted by Leonie Rau in ArabLit & ArabLit Quarterly. I’ve read the poem “2013-1-2” in my dictionary-bound way, and have transliterated the Arabic…

[jamesmurualiterary]

Literary Magazines: Kikwetu, Arablit Quarterly, Lolwe, Omenana.

Literary Magazines: Kikwetu, Arablit Quarterly, Lolwe, Omenana.

Kikwetu, Arablit Quarterly, Lolwe, and Omenana are great reads from across the African literary ecosystem right now. Kikwetu Journal Born out of our Nairobi-based writing group in 2015, Kikwetu is an annual online literary journal that publishes both new and established writers from East Africa and beyond in English and Swahili. The newest edition of the magazine edited by John Ndavula,…

[womenintranslation]

Drones and Clones: Mapping Palestinian Sci Fi with Lindsey Moore, from ArabLit Quarterly

“Palestinian writers evoke dischronotopia: multiple, hierarchized time-space configurations in one tiny geographical place. You can’t go to the West Bank — if you’re privileged enough to get in — and miss the managed discrepancy: there’s a refugee camp on one side of the road and an Israeli settlement on the other; the skyscrapers of Tel Aviv are visible from the hills of the West Bank.

If, then, ‘this is what we really don’t want to become’ is a fantasy already foreclosed to Palestinian writers, in what ways might they speculate on the future? I mean speculation in a strong sense – as a wager – because the future of the Palestinians is far from assured.”

Lindsey Moore, a scholar from Lancaster University in the UK, speaks about speculative/dystopian fiction from Palestine, about Comma Press’s commitment to publishing Palestinian writers, and about woman writer Ibtisam Azem’s sci-fi novel Book of Disappearance.

Click here to read the complete interview (ArabLit Quarterly, Spring 2020 Issue).

[egyptartists]

ArabLit Story Prize

Deadline: 15 May 2019

The ArabLit Story Prize is an award for the best short story, in any genre, newly translated from Arabic into English. Translators must have rights to the work, and translations must be previously unpublished.

Criteria

Stories will be judged primarily on the quality of the translated work as a thing-in-itself, although translators must also submit the Arabic original, as this must be a translation, not a loose adaptation nor a work written originally in English.

Benefits

$500 to the winner, split between author and translator. Shortlisted stories will have the opportunity to be published in the ArabLit Quarterly as well as a future anthology.

Details

Apply

[garadinervi]

The Story of a Poem: Refaat Alareer's 'If I Must Die', By Salih J. Altoma, ArabLit & ArabLit Quarterly, June 21, 2024

[arablit]

Call for Submissions to Spring 2024 Issue: 'Gaza! Gaza! Gaza!'

The theme of ArabLit Quarterly’s Spring 2023 issue is Gaza! Gaza! Gaza! Please send us your pitch or completed piece via this Google form or send an email to info@arablit.org. We are looking for art & writing from or with Gaza, created primarily by Palestinians with ties to Gaza, but also from others who have deep knowledge about the histories of Gaza or can translate literatures from and about…

[gumroad]

Introducing: The first batch of our Creators Fund recipients!

We’re super excited to talk about the first batch of Creators Fund grant recipients. They’re gonna do some great things for the world, and we’re excited to help them out a little bit.

We had 358 creators apply for this first batch, and picked eight to give a total of $9,550. You can apply to the Creators Fund here and follow us on Twitter for future updates. 

Without further ado, they are...

Christy-Lyn:

I’m a girl from the very tip of Africa (Cape Town, South Africa), creating content that educates thousands of adults from all around the world as they learn to play the harp as adults. So many people have dreamed their whole lives of playing the harp (see more about why below), but without a harp teacher nearby, they would remain isolated, in the dark, and lacking the resources they need to pursue their dream of sharing music that makes a difference in the world. Enter the internet and my YouTube channel! They are able to access the content they need and to receive the support, encouragement and learning they need to play the harp. 

Tim Cigelske:

My name is Tim Cigelske and I'm a writer. With Gumroad chipping in, I'm able to hire a copy editor for my book, The Creative Journey. I'm really excited about taking my next steps in the writing process! 

Christina Weese:

My name is Christina Weese and I am doing a year-long art documentary on Instagram. With Gumroad chipping in, I'm going to the local Women’s Entrepreneurs annual conference. The topic this year is social media. I'm really excited about having funding to take two more people to the conference; I’m looking for local Indigenous/First Nations women artists who could benefit from more exposure. We have some amazing artists around here whose work deserves to be more widely known.

Leo Schwartz:

My name is Leo Schwartz and I'm a journalist. With Gumroad chipping in, I'll be able to travel to Mexico City and report on the revolutionary presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Tsvetelina Valkanova:

My name is Tsvetelina Valkanova, I’m going to do small stylized library of Substance Designer textures. With the awesome help and contribution of Gumroad, all of it will be totally free to download and use for anyone! Stay tuned! :)

Justin Martin:

My name is Justin Martin and I make pose reference that helps artists grasp the human form. With Gumroad chipping-in, we can develop teaching materials for art educators, with the intent to provide them to teachers at cost. We believe in "radical sharing" and all our poses are currently free to use.

Marcia Lynx Qualey:

I’m the editor-in-chief behind ArabLit (www.arablit.org) and ArabLit Quarterly. With Gumroad chipping in, we're able to include even more award-winning authors and translators in our second issue. The design for the forthcoming issue is currently being finalized by Hassân Almohtasib and we're excited to have it there for #GumroadDay.

Brenden Harvey:

My team and I create the Goodnewspaper — a print newspaper that celebrates the people, ideas, and movements shaping the world for the better. We have subscribers in all 50 states as well as more than a dozen countries and reach more than 11,000 people with each issue. Inside of each issue, we have a beautifully designed centerfold poster with a quote from someone who does good in the world. We commission guest artists for each issue, but because we're still a really small publication, we aren't always able to pay top dollar for each commission. We'd like to ensure that we're highlighting the beautiful work of people from marginalized communities — and most of all, paying them well.

[drsonnet]

Nasser Rabah Translated by Wiam El-Tamami Grief is cheap; death a worn-out horse; the hospitals heaving with the calls of the drowned. Who will listen to me tell the story of Amjad? Who will give me their heart — and a moment of silence? I tried to tell the driver. He pulled photos of a stream of tears out of his shirt pocket. The limbs and remains of his loved ones went flying. Oh no — he chased after them — Hamada’s legs, Suad’s dreams… I tried to tell the hawkers. We’re just selling things — they replied — exchanging people’s sorrows for fake papers and poisoned tales. The market is full of slaughtered birds walking around, just like you. I headed back to my neighbor. He has a brother working in television, and his brother has one son. Both were pronounced dead on the evening news. Ashamed, I left without asking him. I went to see Mounir, who works at the bakery. I found his home full of neighbors, pouring coffee at his memorial: Mounir the baker is dead. I hurried over to Mazen, the history teacher. I heaved a sigh of relief when I found him. Oh, thank God, you’re alive. Have you lost any loved ones? He said no, but Huda’s feet have been amputated, Nahil needs urgent treatment abroad, and Mahmoud has been missing for months. What about you — what’s wrong? he asked. Nothing, I replied. There’s just no history without geography. Grief is cheap; death a worn-out horse; the hospitals heaving with the calls of the drowned.  Who will listen to me tell the story of Amjad? Who will give me their heart — and a moment of silence? Who will listen to me say: He was my closest friend. When I look into the mirror, I see you laughing. Amjad? Which one of us was closer to the other? You would visit one house after another, passing around sweet dates of joy. You would come back to leave your tears in the palm of my hand. What’s wrong? Nothing. Just tired. In every place you left behind, your palm trees are growing, rising, reaching out for God. For ten years you were the closest one to me; I was the closest one to you. And I never asked you: What’s that scar on your forehead? And you never asked me: What’s that opulent wound on your neck? We passed over all the wounds of a lifetime without a word. It was enough for us to walk together, Amjad, and to keep walking. We were like a victory sign held up in the face of exhaustion. What has become of it now? Grief is cheap; death a worn-out horse; the hospitals heaving with the calls of the drowned. Nasser Rabah is Palestinian poet and novelist. He has published five poetry collections and two novels. New Poetry by Nasser Rabah: ‘Amjad’ – ARABLIT & ARABLIT QUARTERLY

[morebedsidebooks]

2020-2021 Women in Translation Roundup Part 3: All the Rest

One of my goals has been to read more writers in translation that originally were published in languages I am less familiar with. I don’t think I’ve stepped outside my habits enough yet but, eventually I hope get to review many more. This list of such women writers across comics, YA novels and other fiction books represents both a couple authors I’ve read before in translation but, also some that are new-to-me.

  Goong: The Royal Palace by Park So-hee (translated from the Korean by HyeYoung Im, adaptation J. Torres, lettering Teri Delgado and Marshall Dillon)

A favourite and long South Korean comic series, too with a live-action TV adaptation that helped the Korean Wave of pop culture overseas, Goong imagines what it would be like if the country still had a functioning monarchy.

  The Head of the Saint by Socorro Acioli (translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn)

One of the rare examples of young adult literature by a woman from Latin America translated to English, The Head of the Saint by a Brazilian author Socorro Acioli is about a 14-year-old boy who undertakes three tasks his departed mother asked of him.

  What Happened to Zeeko by Emily Nasrallah (translated from the Arabic by Denys Johnson-Davies)

A classic in Lebanon, What Happened to Zeeko by Emily Nasrallah is an all too real young adult novel relates the Lebanese Civil War through the eyes of the family cat. Also of interest is the cat themed ArabLit Quarterly Fall 2020 issue which includes a feature with Nasrallah’s daughter Muna recalling her childhood pet.

  Fair Play by Tove Jansson (translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal)

Famous for the Moomins, instead Fair Play is a grown-up novella of short vignettes that evokes images of Finnish author Jansson and her partner of 45 years.

  The Silent Sin by Anja Sicking (translated from the Dutch by David Colmer)

A historical novel about the 1730 Dutch Purge of Homosexuals, The Silent Sin by Anja Sicking is told through the recollections of a maid who has experienced more than one tragedy in her life.

  Tentacle by Rita Indiana (translated from the Spanish by Achy Obejas)

A subversive and award-winning cli-fi novel from the Dominican Republic, Rita Indiana’s Tentacle is one of those books a reader has to experience for themselves.

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5 Books: Palestinian Short-story Collections – ARABLIT & ARABLIT QUARTERLY

5 Books: Palestinian Short-story Collections – ARABLIT & ARABLIT QUARTERLY

This week, we are launching our first community-supported translation: Ranya Abdelrahman’s translation of thirty-one selected stories by the great cult-classic Palestinian writer Samira Azzam. Thanks to our supporters on Patreon and elsewhere for making this happen. You can find the book on Amazon (US, UK, Germany, Canada, Japan, UAE, etc.) and Gumroad. On Gumroad, the book it as a 20%…

[baublefobbersleuth]

‘Free Speech Is Hard Work’

One stumbles upon insight gold. Here’s a line from the title poem of Egyptian poet Iman Mersal’s book The Threshold: One long-serving intellectual screamed at his friend / When I’m talking about democracy / you shut the hell up. It’s quoted here in the blog ArabLit & ArabLit Quarterly. The book’s translator from Arabic to English is Robyn Creswell. As wicked captures do, Mersal’s verse struck…