Wolf

Tarif Khalidi posted this with the intriguing comment that it’s “from an anthology of Arabic literature, ancient & modern, verse & prose, all my own translations, which should be completed in a couple of years or so.” Happy Saturday! ~ m. Al-Buhturi (d.897) The Poet and the Wolf What a night! Dawn at its tail-end…

Public Culture

Today I attended the dissertation defense of my friend Ben Koerber. His book-in-progress is titled: The Aesthetics and Politics of Rumor in Egyptian Public Culture Although he identifies many kinds of rumors, they are all kinds of tales that are unauthorized by authorities–they are disturbances in symbolic systems (such as a political order). Rumor is…

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Fantasy Finds

YA Arabic Fantasy Fiction I recommend anything by Ahmed Salah Al Mahdi, a bright new talent in the Arab World. I’ve dedicated another post to his work here. Adult Arabic Fantasy Fiction ‘Warrior’ by Matt Leines Historical/Classical Selections: Science Fiction: Speculative fiction fans, tune in to these two Intralingo Spotlight interviews with author Dr. Monther…

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Folkarts in Contemporary Pop Culture

Paintings by English book illustrator Arthur Rackham Films by Japanese artist Hayao Miyazaki Fantasy novels and short stories around the world Illustrations by American book designer Thomas Canty Arabic folk hero Antar. Film on YouTube here (in Arabic). Margari Aziza wrote about her discovery of Antar. Egyptian feminist working group, Women & Memory Forum, published…

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Literature of Morocco for a General English-Reading Audience

  Several people have asked me for suggested reading from Moroccan literature. Here are some ideas… For language learning: Sakulich, Aaron. Moroccan Arabic: Shnoo the Hell is Going on Hnaa? A Practical Guide to Learning Moroccan Darija (2009) Novels: Mhani Alaoui’s two novels: Dreams of Maryam Tair: Blue Boots and Orange Blossoms (2015) for fiction…