May Goes On: (Re)-Introducing May Ziadeh
ArabLit has launched an English translation of May Ziadeh’s 1922 work *Sawanih Fatat*, the first major collection of her essays, poems and reflections. The translation is the second title in the publisher’s “ERASED, NOT FORGOTTEN” series and is being released serially through a free Substack newsletter, with a print edition slated for October 2026 for paid subscribers. A diverse team of seventeen women scholars and translators produced the edition, emphasizing Ziadeh’s historic role in Cairo’s early feminist salon culture. The project revives a key voice of the Arab Nahda for contemporary readers.
A Look Back at ArabLit: April 2026
ArabLit’s April 2026 roundup highlights a surge of literary activity despite regional turmoil. The platform reported new translations, anthologies and major prize announcements, including Said Khatibi’s win of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. It also celebrated the opening of...
Translating Oman
The Syracuse University Press hosted the “Translating Oman” event, bringing together leading Omani authors and translators to discuss the country’s emerging literary scene. Participants included translator Zia Ahmed, novelist Bushra Khalfan, and award‑winning translator Marilyn Booth, who highlighted recent and...
Unlocking Palestine: Sara Yasin on Editing ‘The Key’
The Key, a new digital publication dedicated to covering Palestine, debuted as an outgrowth of the PalFest literary festival. In a recent BULAQ podcast, editor‑in‑chief Sara Yasin—formerly managing editor of the Los Angeles Times— discussed the outlet’s mission and its...
Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces 2026 Winners
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award announced its 2026 winners across ten categories, highlighting Egyptian novelist Ashraf Elashmawy’s speculative satire *Born in the Zoo* as the Literature laureate. ArabLit contributor Nawal Nasrallah earned the Translation prize for her critical edition of...
Moneera Al-Ghadeer Answers: ‘Why Saudi Poetry?’
Syracuse University Press released "Tracing the Ether: Contemporary Poetry from Saudi Arabia," edited by Moneera Al‑Ghadeer, featuring 26 poets. The anthology was born from a teaching gap in the U.S. and aims to counter war‑focused Western narratives by showcasing experimental...
From Mohamed Abd ElGawad’s ‘A Report on the Pussycat’
Mohamed Abdel Gawad's novella "A Report on the Pussycat" dramatizes a satirical clash in al‑Labban between tuk‑tuk driver Omar Abu Treika and bus driver Mahmoud the Gecko, sparked when a girl chooses a bus over a tuk‑tuk. The street battle...
Rasha Omran: ‘I Want to Smile’
ArabLit’s Spring 2026 issue “Syria: Fall of Eternity” showcases a new poem, “I Want to Smile,” by acclaimed Syrian poet Rasha Omran. The piece, translated by M Lynx Qualey, blends surreal humor with stark reflections on exile and conflict. The...
From Areej Gamal’s ‘Mariam, It’s Arwa’
Areej Gamal’s debut novel Mariam, It’s Arwa has been released in English by AUC Press, translated by Addie Leak. The story follows two women who meet during the 2011 Egyptian uprising, using rooftop memories to explore freedom and confinement. The book, winner...
In the Details: Masks, Memory, and Narrative Defiance
Bassem Khandaqji’s novel *A Mask the Color of the Sky* won the 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, becoming the first IPAF winner written from inside a prison. The work, part of the adab al‑sujun tradition, mixes metafiction, archaeology and a...
A Look Back at ArabLit: March 2026
ArabLit’s March 2026 roundup highlights how the widening Israel‑U.S. coalition war and Iranian airstrikes have upended the regional literary ecosystem. Over a thousand Lebanese casualties and mass displacement have hit writers, editors and publishers, while the Muscat and Abu Dhabi...
Mahmoud Darwish: ‘Till My End and Till Its End’
On Mahmoud Darwish Day (March 13), a new English translation of the poet’s late‑stage work “Till My End and Till Its End” was released. The poem, originally written in Arabic, is rendered by acclaimed translator Marilyn Hacker, known for her extensive...
Publishing From the Fault Line
Publisher Lynn Gaspard reflects on Saqi Books' 40‑year legacy as Middle East conflict escalates. She argues that independent presses preserve nuanced narratives that mainstream headlines erase, turning cookbooks, memoirs, and scholarship into lasting testimony. While commercial returns are modest, the...
From Iman Humaydan’s ‘Songs for Darkness’
Interlink Books has released Iman Humaydan’s novel *Songs for Darkness* in English, translated by Michelle Hartman. The book celebrates Syrian women’s oral traditions, weaving harvest songs into a narrative of memory and resistance. Excerpts reveal protagonist Shahira’s journey from rural...
Online Summer Arabic Translation Workshop Open for Applications
The British Centre for Literary Translation (BCLT) has opened applications for its Arabic Summer Workshop, part of a twelve‑strand online program running July 20‑24. Led by translator Sawad Hussain and author Omaima Al‑Khamis, the Arabic strand will focus on Al‑Khamis’s...