Mai Al Nakib’s Middle East in short
The National, May 2014 When Saddam Hussein ordered the attack on Kuwait in 1990, Mai Al Nakib was 19. She remembers the drama of skies blackened by burning oilfields and how, in an instant, the […]
Ben East
Meet the contenders for tonight’s IPAF ceremony
The National, April 2014 A Moroccan man missing for 26 years, a Cairo-set psychological thriller and a journey into a more stable Iraq are just some of the stories on the fascinating International Prize for […]
The Wainwright Prize shortlist
It seems barely a week goes by without the announcement of another literary prize shortlist, but The Wainwright Prize for UK Nature & Travel Writing – new for this year – is a really strong […]
Maggie And Me by Damian Barr
The Observer, April 2014 When Damian Barr’s memoir Maggie and Me was published last April, complete with Margaret Thatcher beaming beatifically from its front cover, it seemed immaculately timed. Thatcher had died earlier that month, and his book began […]
Author Sinan Antoon on IFFP and translating his own books
The National, April 2014 When the longlist for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize (IFFP) was announced last month, great play was made of the fact that of the three nominated books set in the Middle […]