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There’s a moving testimony by the late Egyptian author Osama Dinassouri from his posthumously published memoir, and searing short story from Dafur by Sudanese author Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin.

Banipal 31 presents the first of a three-part series on Syrian literature. There's fiction from: Zakaria Tamer, with selected stories from a new collection Breaking Knees, Rafik Schami, with an excerpt from his latest work The Dark Side of Love, Khaled Khalifa, short-listed for the “Arab Booker” for his novel In Praise of Hatred, also a chapter from a new novel by Khalil Suwailih, and three short stories from Nihad Sirees, Dima Wannous and Manhal Sarraj.

The poets in the Syrian feature are the late Mohammad al-Maghut, also four poets who visit the UK in July – Lukman Derky, Monzer Masri, Hala Mohammad and Rasha Omran. In addition are poets Lina Tibi, Nazih Abu Afach, Abed Ismael, Rima Buaini, Saleh Diab and Jackleen Salam. This first part concludes with a tale of walking through Rome by surgeon/author Khalil al-Neimi.

To buy all 3 Banipals (31, 32 and 33) with the 3-part series on Syrian literature, click here

CONTENTS

Spring 2008
Cover artist is Mehdi Qotbi from Morocco

EDITORIAL

Paul Chaoul – Excerpt from the play The Visitor

Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin – A short story The Music of Bones

Osama Dinassouri – Excerpt from My Decrepit Dog, My Darling Dog

TRIBUTE
Suhail Idriss 1925 – 19 February 2008
Founder Dar Al-Adab publishing house

FEATURE ON SYRIAN LITERATURE
PART 1

Khaled Khalifa – Excerpt from the novel In Praise of Hatred

Mohammad al-Maghut – Five Poems

Dima Wannous – A short story Sahar

Lukman Derky – Sixteen Poems
Performing and in Conversation at Ledbury and London Review Bookshop see events for all details

Lina Tibi – Eight Poems

Khalil Suwailih – Excerpt from the novel Zuhur, Sarah and Nariman

Saleh Diab – Six Poems

Zakaria Tamer – Stories from his new collection Breaking Knees

Jackleen Salam – Two Poems

Nihad Sirees – A short story Thinking of Naima

Nazih Abu Afach – Seven Poems

Rima Buaini – Two Poems

Abed Ismael – Selected poems from Voices

Manhal Sarraj – A short story For the First Time

Rasha Omran – Two Poems
Performing and in Conversation at Ledbury and London Review Bookshop see events for all details

Monzer Masri – Three Poems
Performing and in Conversation at Ledbury and London Review Bookshop see events for all details

Hala Mohammad – Poems from As if I’m knocking on my door
Performing and in Conversation at Ledbury and London Review Bookshop see events for all details

Rafik Schami – Excerpt from the novel The Dark Side of Love

A TRAVELLING TALE

Khalil al-Neimi – Rome in the Rain


TRIBUTE

Fuad al-Takarli, 1927 – 11 February 2008
Pioneering Iraqi author

BOOK REVIEWS

Bassam K Frangieh Embers and Ashes by Hisham Sharabi

Tarek el-Ariss Origin by Diane Abu-Jaber

Peter Clark Dissident Syria by miriam cooke

Zuzana Kratka Wolves of the Crescent Moon by Youssef al-Mohaimeed

Judith Kazantzis Outcast by Shimon Ballas

Susannah Tarbush Inside the Night by Ibrahim Nasrallah

Margaret Obank Naguib Mahfouz by Rasheed el-Enany

All these book reviews can be read online. Click here for full iist of online book reviews, originally reviewed in Banipal issues

BOOKS RECEIVED

EVENTS

London: Arabia Books launch

Abu Dhabi: International Prize for Arabic Fiction Award

London: MEDAF seminar

Contributors

Please go to the following links for information on the translators and reviews of Banipal 31

Translators: Sinan Antoon, Thomas Aplin, Anthea Bell, Issa J Boullata, Elliott Colla, Ghenwa Hayek, William M Hutchins, Abed Ismael, Imad Khashan, Tarek Sherif, Iman Mersal, Khaled al-Jbaili, Khaled al-Masri, Ibrahim Muhawi, Youssef Rakha, Paul Roddie, Christa Salamandra, Kat Stapley, Max Weiss.

Reviewers: Tarek el-Ariss, Peter Clark, Bassam K Frangieh, Judith Kazantzis, Zuzana Kratka, Margaret Obank, Susannah Tarbush