I’m just wrapping up a late summer group read of: The Green Bicycle By Haifaa Al Mansour This is a light, fun read if you enjoy YA literature and you have any interest in what it would be like to grow up in Saudi Arabia. The text flows easily, and the main character is a…
Having started to translate my first novel from Arabic to English, I’ve been inspired to make a post here about translation. It’s a science and an art–tedious, but also very satisfying when you feel that you’ve succeeded. Here’s a great article about translatability and the work of the translator. For Arabic-to-English translation, see the premier…
With this bright new year of 2020, I’m sharing a few literary/artistic picks (two books and one music album) that were recently inspired by Conference of the Birds (منطق الطير), the allegorical poem by Farid al-Din Attar (lived in Nishapur c. 1145-c. 1221, in northeastern Iran). “Considered by Rumi to be ‘the master’ of Sufi…
I’d like to provide here several draft syllabi for those of you interested in teaching and research of the following topics. I support an open-source approach to knowledge, and am happy to follow up on these resources in conversation if you have any comments or questions. Time Periods & Parameters of Arabic Literature In the…
In the current climate, audio and video sources are on the rise, but reading remains a key skill for language learners. For those learners who already love to read (in any language), extensive reading can be a powerhouse for their progress toward increased proficiency in Arabic. This 2-part series is based on research in language…
My academic training is in Arabic literature. By literature, I don’t mean written materials alone. I mean instead the manipulation of language in all of its various forms (whether stories, poems, rhymes, etc.) to reach an audience–expressing feelings, communicating experiences, asking questions, offering advice, and so on. When I first studied in Morocco, I had to…
