Frankfurt book fair had a new daily this year, ‘Publishing Perspectives’, keeping trade visitors updated with the latest news and tracking the buzz. Yasmina Jraissati, RAYA agency gave an interview, and presented mubtada wa khabar, the collaborative platform for the Arab book industry that will have its first launch on Friday October 23rd, at the BIEL, Beirut. Do not miss if you’re in town!
The Arab Man Booker, also called International Arabic Prize of Fiction, was awarded on March 2cnd in Abu Dhabi to Saudi writer Abdo Khal for his novel ‘She throws sparks’.
Cairo is gigantic, but still it brims over with humanity. Its population is at least 20 million and still growing. Satellite cities arise in the desert, the suburbs surround the Pyramids, informal settlements colonise Fatimid mausoleums.
A fine shortlist of nominees for the third ‘Arabic Booker’ has so far been overshadowed by manufactured controversy, Youssef Rakha writes.
* By Youssef Rakha, published in The National