Rabih Alameddine gets all unnecessary
The National, March 2014 Authors are faced with a multitude of challenges when they set out on the long road to fashioning their latest opus. Plotting, ideas, settings, characters – all are key. But the […]
BOOKS
Independent Foreign Fiction Prize longlist recognises Arabic fiction
Great to see Hassan Blasim’s short story collection The Iraqi Christ on the longlist for the 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize . It seems like a long time since I caught up with him at Manchester Piccadilly, […]
Interview with Jamal Mahjoub (or is it Parker Bilal?)
The National, February 2014 It’s hard to “make it” in the literary world. Most authors would probably consider it a big achievement to get published at all, let alone have a seven-book, 15 year-career in […]
Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize can translate into big success
The National, February 2014 When the shortlist for the International Prize For Arabic Fiction (IPAF) was announced yesterday, it was tempting to suggest the literary scene in the Arab world is not only healthy, but […]
Khaled Khalifa favourite for “Arab Booker”
The National, February 2014 The award-winning Syrian novelist Khaled Khalifa is the obvious favourite for the seventh International Prize For Arabic Fiction, as judges announced an intriguing shortlist on Monday featuring everything from a Moroccan […]