The Transition by Luke Kennard
The National, January 2017 Unemployed, unsure, in debt, fearful, even overwhelmed – whether they are described as Generation Y or millennials, the life of Westerners who came of age in the 21st century is not […]
BOOKS
The Soul Of An Octopus by Sy Montgomery
Shooting Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1916 – the first motion picture filmed underwater, no less – J Ernest Williamson trembled: “No words can adequately describe the sickening horror one feels when from some dark […]
Is the ‘Arabic Booker’ working?
When the International Prize for Arabic Fiction was launched in Abu Dhabi in 2007, its chairman, Jonathan Taylor, said he looked forward to seeing “more high-quality Arabic fiction being accessible to a wider world”. Nine […]
Raja Alem interview
The National, June 2016 When Raja Alem won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2011 with The Dove’s Necklace, she might have expected that her fascinating exploration into contemporary, secretive Mecca would have enjoyed a […]
Shilpi Somaya Gowda interview
The National, June 2016 It is not entirely an exaggeration to suggest that Shilpi Somaya Gowda is living the dream. Like so many would-be authors, the Toronto-born child of Mumbai parents had toyed for some […]