R A Y A | agency for Arabic literature
A review by John Domini for The Brooklyn Rail, Published September 2023
From the first, the Syrian novelist Khaled Khalifa scores his latest for full orchestra. The opening page considers the grim aftermath of a devastating Euphrates flood, not far from Aleppo, back in 1907, and it summons every instrument, from tuba to triangle, in a rising crescendo of sorrow:” Before Mariana Nassar lost consciousness, she saw the bodies of her mother, her father, and her four brothers and sisters floating on the river alongside others she recognized: her neighbor and …
With this poignant story, Yazbek writes about the magnificence and the cruelty of life, the destruction of worldly beauty and kindness, but also its resilience, and the elevation of the soul. Here, Yazbek goes back to one of her favorite topics: the transformation of the underprivileged rural communities of Syria, but also their unique relationship to nature and its elements.
Hisham Al Khattab is Yazid ibn Abih. At least he thinks he is. Some 13 centuries separate the two, but in the despaired mind of Hisham Al Khattab, and through the magical power of dreams, Hisham is Yazid.
The narrator, a zoo keeper, his girlfriend Nonna, and the giraffe (by far the zoo’s most popular figure), form a strange, yet happy family. This is their story, unfolding in the margins of the brutal Syrian war. Until violence can no longer be escaped.
Depicted as a story of curiosity and lust in the German press, Selamlik, autobiographic novel, tells the journey of Furat from his home in Syria, to Sweden, via Turkey. A surprising bitter-sweet homo-erotic tale.
The National Book Award, New York, announced its longlist. The shortlist will be revealed on October 3rd, and the winner announced on November 15.
Khaled Khalifa’s “No one prayed over their graves”, translated by Leri Price, published by FSG in the USA is amongst the longlisted. Khalifa’s previous novel “Death is hard work” was shortlisted to the National Book Award in 2019.
Publishers submitted a total of 154 books for the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature.
Created in 2013, the Lagardere-IMA Award for Arabic literature is one of the rare French prizes dedicated to Arabic literary creation. The award of 10,000 EUR promotes the work of a writer, citizen of one of the countries of the Arab league, translated into, or originally written in, French, between September 2022 and September 2023.
Samar Yazbek’s “La demeure du vent” (The wind’s abode,translated by Khaled Osman et Ola Mehanna) published by Stock, as well as Mansoura Ezeldin’s “Les jardins de Basra” (The orchards of Basra, translted into French by Philippe Vigreux) …
The Chicago Review of Books recommends Khalifa’s “No one prayed over their graves” as one of the 12 must reads of July! By Michael Welch, July 5, 2023
From the National Book Award finalist Khaled Khalifa comes the story of two friends whose lives are altered by a flood that devastates their Syrian village. On a December morning in 1907, Hanna and Zakariya return to their village near Aleppo to discover that their neighbors and families have all tragically died in a massive flood. The traumatic event forever changes Hanna, who …
Published by ORIENT XXI, on July 7 2023
Hisham navigates in a dream between contemporary Cairo and 8th-century Basra, where Islamic thought is taking shape. In this parallel world, he encounters his doppelganger, Yazid, who frequents the circle of rationalist theologians. With “The Gardens of Basra,” Egyptian novelist Mansoura Ez-Eldin brings back illustrious characters from Islamic history to engage in a dialogue with the living.
