I’m opening a space here for connections to more information about languages and cultures that neighbor Arabic: Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew to start. Feel free to send me any recommendations! For Persian culture / art / history, see Caroline Mawer’s blog. For literature in translation, Words without Borders (July 2013) has an issue dedicated to…
This post is a place for collecting all the interesting projects I’ve found in the UK and Europe that showcase arts and culture from the Arab world. More to follow… London Mosaic Rooms Algerian Coffee Stores Arab British Centre Nour Festival of Arts (annual) Paris L’Institut du monde arabe Arabic Bookstore La Librairie Avicenne (Near Metro…
Introduction This is one of my favorite pieces of art. Those of us who are partial to the color combination blue and white may already know of Dutch Delftware or English willow pattern dishes. Both are seventeenth and eighteenth century European porcelain designs inspired by Chinese pinyin, literally ‘blue flowers’ wares, dating from the fourteenth…
Check out this interview with German scholar Angelika Neuwirth on enlightenment in Arabic and Islamic cultures ! Some highlights: On Enlightenment: “The claim that Islam lacks an Enlightenment is an age-old cliché. Pride in the Enlightenment–even though this pride has died down somewhat–continues to lead people to believe that Western Culture is way ahead…
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…
Today we have some computer-based exercises. With your partner, run through the following in any order you choose: Visit this image, click on it to zoom in, and answer the following questions. If you get stumped, raise your hand for help. ١ – شو هذا ؟ ٢ – Write some of the names, and any…
Dear Barbara Dick and other sci-fi fans: Check out this page for the sci fi salon that will be kicking off the annual Nour Festival of Arts. Their announcement features a great piece of art by Murat Palta depicting Star Wars as a traditional miniature painting. The artist also has miniatures of movies such as…
بتحكي عربي؟ بتحب الادب؟ عندنا فرصة لمناقشة الادب(العربي خاصةً) بالعربي بأي نوع (المصري، الشامي، المغربي، إلخ..) مرة كل اسبوع يوم الأحد 3:30 – 4:30 مساءً (Eastern Standard Time) على Google Hangouts اتصل بي للمشاركة احنا بنقرى “الساق على الساق” للشدياق حالياً
Bonjour! As you may know, I’m helping lead a discussion on GoodReads about The Time of White Horses by Ibrahim Nasrallah. Then my husband recently introduced me to the music of Nolwenn Leroy, a French singer inspired by Breton and Celtic culture. I enjoyed this song so much, that I ended up translating it (video…
Here’s a shout-out to all my favorite book dealers… مدبولي Madbouli Bookshop 6 Talaat Harb Sq. – Cairo, Egypt الأزبكية Al-Azbakeyah open market for used books – Cairo, Egypt ديوان Diwan bookstores – Cairo, Egypt دار الشروق Dar El Shorouk 1 Talaat Harb Sq. – Cairo, Egypt دار الهلال Dar El Hilal 16 Mohamed Ezz El Arab St. – Cairo, Egypt…
