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CONTENTS
EDITORIAL - Samuel Shimon
FICTION from KUWAIT
Mersel al-Ajami – A brief history of the short story in Kuwait
Taleb Alrefai – An overview of the novel in Kuwait
The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters
Adam Youssouf – Kuwait’s literary and scientific awards
The publishing industry in Kuwait
Bothayna al-Essa – An Unexpected Encounter in Uppsala, excerpts from a novel, translated by Charis Bredin
Ismail Fahd Ismail – When the Frog Croaked, excerpts from a novel, translated by William M Hutchins
Yousef Khalifa – 18 Very Short Stories, translated by Agnes Reeve
Laila al-Othman – Two Short Stories, translated by Ruth Ahmedzai and Sally Gomaa
Ali Hussain al-Felkawi – Traveller of the World, excerpts from a novel, translated by Thomas Aplin
Waleed al-Rajeeb – Three Short Stories, translated by John Peate
Mona al-Shammari – Black Khol . . . White Heart, a short story translated by Sophia Vasalou
Taleb Alrefai – Welcome to the Abu Ajaj Construction Company, excerpt from a novel, translated by Mona Zaki
Thuraya al-Baqsami – Moscow Days, excerpts from a novel, translated by Maxwell Martin
Hooda Shawa – An Elephant in the City, a short story translated by Robin Moger, with original illustrations by Faisal Laibi Sahi
Hameady Hamood – Refugee, a short story translated by William M Hutchins
Fatima Yousif al-Ali – Return from a “Honeymoon”, a short story translated by William M Hutchins
Sulaiman al-Shatti – A Voice from the Dark, a short story translated by Layla al-Maleh
Fawziya Shuwaish al-Salem – A Night of Creation and Emission, chapter from a novel, translated by Ghenwa Hayek
Basima al-Enezi – Black Shoes on a Sidewalk, excerpts from the novel, translated by Sally Gomaa
Suleiman al-Khalifi – Love at First Call, a short story, translated by Layla al-Maleh
Saud al-Sanousi – an excerpt from the novel Prisoner of Mirrors, translated by Sophia Vasalou
BOOK REVIEWS
Andrew C Long Throwing Sparks by Abdo Khal
Mona Zaki The Mehlis Report by Rabee Jaber
Paul Starkey ‘That Smell’ and ‘Notes from Prison’ by Sonallah Ibrahim
Susannah Tarbush Earth Weeps, Saturn Laughs by Abdulaziz Al Farsi
Margaret Obank Divorce Islamic Style by Amara Lakhous
Stephen Watts Poems for the Millennium (Volume 4): The University of California Book of North African Literature edited by Pierre Joris and Habib Tengour
Margaret Obank Sun Bread and Sticky Toffee: Date Desserts from Everywhere by Sarah Al-Hama
BOOKS IN BRIEF
Return of the Spirit: A Novel by Tawfiq al-Hakim
Between Two Rivers by Dorothy Al-Khafaji
King by Riad NourallahKalila and Dimna: Fables of Conflict and Intrigue (vol.2) retold by Ramsey Wood
Alone Together by Mishka Mojabber Mourani and Aida Yacoub Haddad
Writing Revolution: The Voices from Tunis to Damascus edited by Layla Al-Zubaidi and Matthew Cassel,
Seeking Palestin: New Palestinian Writing on Exile and Home edited by Penny Johnson and Rajah Shehadeh,
In the House Un-American by Benjamin Hollander,
A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Middle East compiled by Dilip Hiro,
Pastoral in Palestine by Neil Hertz,
Renaissance Emir: A Druze Warlord at the Court of the Medici by T.J Gordon,
A Month by the Sea: Encounters in Gaza by Dervla Murphy,
Beyond the Arab Spring: Authoritarianism and Democratization in the Arab World by Rex Brynen, Pete W. Moore, Bassel F. Salloukh and Marie-Joelle Zahar,
The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey by Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt.
EVENTS
• Sheikh Zayed Book Awards, Abu Dhabi
• Casablanca International Book Fair & International Argana Poetry Prize
• Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, April 2013
• International Prize for Arabic Fiction Award Ceremony 2013, Abu Dhabi
• Shubbak Festival of Contemporary Arabic Culture, London
The translators in Banipal 47 are:
Ruth Ahmedzai, Thomas Aplin, Charis Bredin, Sally Gomaa, Ghenwa Hayek, William M. Hutchins, Layla al-Maleh, Maxwell Martin, Robin Moger, John Peate, Agnes Reeve, Sophia Vasalou, Mona Zaki.
The writers and book reviewers are:
Mersel al-Ajami, Taleb Alrefai, Charis Bredin, Andrew C. Long, Margaret Obank, Agnes Reeve, Susannah Tarbush, Stephen Watts, Adam Youssouf, Mona Zaki.
For information on all the translators, writers and book reviewers in Banipal 47, and for more on all other contributors, click on their name, or go to: www.banipal.co.uk/contributors/
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This issue of Banipal, Fiction from Kuwait, has been supported by Al-Multaqa al-Thaqafi in Kuwait (the Cultural Circle)