{"title":"Youssef Rakha","description":"Youssef Rakha was born on 12 June 1976 in Cairo. He has a first class BA Hons in English and Philosophy (Hull University, UK, 1998) and was awarded the Larkin Prize for English and the Chris Ayers Prize for Philosophy. Since the early 1990s he has contributed many articles and translations to the Arabic press, and is presently senior writer\/copy editor for the English-language \u003cem\u003eAl-Ahram Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e. He has one collection of short stories (\u003cem\u003eDar Sharqiyat\u003c\/em\u003e, 1999) and two travel books, including \u003cem\u003eBeirut, some place\u003c\/em\u003e, Amkena Books, 2006, and one novel. In October 2009 he was selected as one of the 39 authors of the Beirut39 project.","products":[{"product_id":"banipal-magazine-issue-27","title":"Banipal Magazine - Issue 27","description":"Farewell, \u003ci\u003eNaguib Mahfouz!\u003c\/i\u003e The issue opens with tributes to the “writer of the world”, the late Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz, by Banipal’s editor and contributing editors Roger Allen and Peter Clark. Further on in the issue, the well-known Iraqi author Jalil al-Qaisi is remembered by Fadhil al-Azzawi. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFourteen fiction writers dominate this issue, among them ten women authors. Basra is the setting for two disturbing but gripping stories by Iraqi author Luay Hamza Abbas. From Syria, three novelists writing completely different genres of novels: Salim Barakat with mysterious, highly inventive place-names and characters that take the reader into a world of mythology and legend, Nabil Sulaiman with a modern setting and topical references, for instance to Michael Moore and George, in a novel designed to make the reader think; and Nihad Sirees’s \u003ci\u003eA State of Passion\u003c\/i\u003e – an enthralling saga of life among the marginalised in 1930s Syria. There’s an excerpt from Lebananese author Alawiyah Sobh’s acclaimed novel \u003ci\u003eDunya\u003c\/i\u003e, and a rich file of diverse short stories – by Salwa Bakr and Sahar Tawfiq from Egypt, Salima Salih from Iraq, Rabia Raihane from Morocco, Hayet Raies from Tunisia, Fatma Yousif al-Ali from Kuwait, and last but not least Ghalia Kabbani from Syria.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe two poets in the issue each present three poems, and then it is on to the TRAVELLING TALE, which is an unusual and profoundly thoughtful view of Beirut through the eyes of Youssef Rakha, a young Egyptian writer and journalist visiting the war-ridden city for the first time, with excerpts from his work \u003ci\u003eBeirut shi Mahal [Beirut, Some Place]\u003c\/i\u003e, which was nominated for the Lettre Ulysses Art of Reportage Prize 2006. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eINTERVIEW WITH AN EDITOR is with Brian Whitaker, the Guardian newspaper’s Middle East editor, in his capacity of founder editor of the Arab Gateway website www.al-bab.com, an entirely altruistic and objective source of information about the Arab world.  Stephen Watts begins a regular review of poetry in translation with Mahmoud Darwish’s \u003ci\u003eWhy Did you Leave the Horse alone?\u003c\/i\u003e and the long-awaited \u003ci\u003eLebanon: Poems of Love and War\u003c\/i\u003e by Nadia Tuéni. Other reviews in include Naguib Mahfouz’s \u003ci\u003eAncient Egyptian Tales\u003c\/i\u003e, and two novels by Egyptian author Ibrahim Aslan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePLUS PHOTO-REPORTS of the Award of the Banipal Arabic Literary Translation Prize, with those for French, German, Italian,  Spanish and Swedish; the Banipal Live 2006 Tour and the Frankfurt Book Fair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBanipal No. 27, Autumn\/Winter 2007\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCONTENTS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover artist: Nabil Abu Hamad\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEditorial – Farewell, Naguib Mahfouz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLuay Hamza Abbas\u003c\/b\u003e Two short stories \u003ci\u003eClosing his Eyes\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eA Much-travelled Man\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlawiya Sobh\u003c\/b\u003e Excerpt from the novel \u003ci\u003eDunya\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRabia Raihane\u003c\/b\u003e A short story \u003ci\u003eThe Señora\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSalim Barakat\u003c\/b\u003e Excerpt from the novel \u003ci\u003eHydrahodahose Caves\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eintroduced by \u003cb\u003eIssa J. boullata\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSalwa Bakr\u003c\/b\u003e A short story \u003ci\u003eThe River Nile\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFadwa al-Qasem\u003c\/b\u003e Two short stories \u003ci\u003eMy Shirt\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Loop\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNabil Sulaiman\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e“Dance of the Wicker Basket”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e– an excerpt from the novel \u003ci\u003eHypostases of Day and Night\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFatma Yousif al-Ali\u003c\/b\u003e Two short stories\u003cbr\u003e– \u003ci\u003eNothing Shameful\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eA Feminine Ending\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSahar Tawfiq\u003c\/b\u003e A short story \u003ci\u003eTwo Blue-Gum Trees in Giza\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHayet Raies\u003c\/b\u003e A short story \u003ci\u003eAzrael and the Author\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMalika Moustadraf\u003c\/b\u003e (1963–2006) A short story \u003ci\u003eA Mere Difference\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGhalia Kabbani\u003c\/b\u003e A short story \u003ci\u003eA Cup of Tea with Mrs Robinson\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSalima Salih\u003c\/b\u003e Two short stories \u003ci\u003eForgiveness Tree\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Revenant\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNihad Sirees\u003c\/b\u003e Excerpt from the novel \u003ci\u003eA State of Passion\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLamia Makaddam\u003c\/b\u003e: Three Poems\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiras Sulaiman\u003c\/b\u003e: Three Poems\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA TRAVELLING TALE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYoussef Rakha\u003cbr\u003eExcerpts from \u003ci\u003eBeirut shi Mahal, Beirut – Some Place\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eINTERVIEW WITH AN EDITOR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBrian Whitaker, editor of Arab Gateway, www.al-bab.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOBITUARY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFadhil al-Azzawi remembers Jalil al-Qaisi (1936–2006)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBOOK REVIEWS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStephen Watts reviews poetry in translation\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhy Did You Leave The Horse Alone?\u003c\/i\u003e by Mahmoud Darwish\u003cbr\u003eand \u003ci\u003eLebanon: Poems of Love and War\u003c\/i\u003e by Nadia Tuéni\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeter Clark \u003ci\u003eVoices from the Other World: Ancient Egyptian Tales\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eby Naguib Mahfouz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeter Clark \u003ci\u003eAbdelrahman Munif and Iraq\u003c\/i\u003e by Maher Jarrar\u003cbr\u003eZuzana Kratka \u003ci\u003eThe Heron and Nile Sparrows\u003c\/i\u003e by Ibrahim Aslan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBOOKS IN BRIEF\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEVENTS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBanipal Translation Prize – First Prizewinner\u003cbr\u003eBanipal Live UK tour – 14-20 August\u003cbr\u003eLeipzig: Adel Karasholi at 70\u003cbr\u003eLondon: Mourid Barghouti Reading\u003cbr\u003eFrankfurt: 2006 Book Fair, 3-8 October ","brand":"Banipal Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Book","offer_id":1040832092,"sku":"1863414615363","price":10.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0441\/7369\/products\/2_2_1c62668f-9f80-4162-a7ec-84555c18d140.jpeg?v=1752237888"},{"product_id":"banipal-38-arab-american-authors","title":"Banipal 38 – Arab American Authors","description":"Banipal 38 presents over 150 pages of works of poetry, fiction and memoir by 29 writers from the USA and Canada of Arab origin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTheir literature is already a subject for university study and although we were wary about using such a label of “hyphenated” identification, the increasingly significant contribution to American and world literature being made by the growing numbers of Arab American authors meant it was high time to focus on their work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this issue – rich new works that are global in impact and offer fresh, sensitive and astute perspectives on the human condition in today’s difficult world. Literature expresses a country’s soul, but the writings of these Arab American authors express both a past and a future world – not one country. Theirs are voices for the 21st century, putting their stamp on multi-heritage, embracing head-on apparent cultural conundrums, voices both irreverent and responsible, deconstructing and satirising the ironies of prejudice.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBanipal 38 also celebrates the flourishing modernist poetry movement in the United Arab Emirates, with works by four of the most important voices on the UAE poetry scene, \u003cb\u003eAhmed Rashid Thani\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eNujoom Al-Ghanem\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eKhalid Albudoor\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eKhulood Al Mu’alla\u003c\/b\u003e, the latter three of whom held the first UK poetry readings of Emirati modernist poetry at the 2010 Ledbury Poetry Festival and at London’s South Bank Centre.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePlus two of the most talented young Arab authors today: \u003cb\u003eYoussef Rakha\u003c\/b\u003e from Cairo takes readers on a trip to the Rafah border with Gaza; \u003cb\u003eHassan Abdulrazzak\u003c\/b\u003e, author of the successful play \u003ci\u003eBaghdad Wedding\u003c\/i\u003e, with a hilariously intriguing monologue about the Israeli Wall.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003ePlus 27 pages of book reviews and a six-page photo-report of the recent RAWI conference.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Banipal Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Book","offer_id":1040837032,"sku":"2206414615363","price":10.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0441\/7369\/products\/2_2_331188a6-50bb-46f0-8d91-53a93f6539d2.jpeg?v=1752237881"},{"product_id":"banipal-magazine-issue-26","title":"Banipal Magazine - Issue 26","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt\"\u003eAugust starts with a new issue of Banipal, designed especially for Summer reading, and including many thought-provoking fiction from Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq and Egypt. Rasheed el-Anany pays tribute to the late Alfred Farag (1929-2005), the outstanding and distinguished playwright who dominated Egyptian theatre in the second half of the 20th century, while Saadi Youssef pays tribute to his fellow countryman the novelist Mahdi Issa al-Saqr (1930-2006).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'\"\u003e \u003ca name=\"OLE_LINK53\" title=\"OLE_LINK53\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe issue kicks off with a new story by novelist and short story writer Jamal Mahjoub writing in English, which takes the reader into the deep shadows of memory. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNext, a chapter from Hassan Nasr’s \u003cem\u003eReturn to Dar al-Basha\u003c\/em\u003e (the novel will be published by Syracuse later this year). In  view of the devastating current events in Lebanon, the excerpt “Earthquake Nightmare” is particularly chilling, recounting the experience of the hero Murtada when his house collapses on top of him.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnusually for Banipal, only two poets in this issue – Siham Bouhlal, writing in French lilting love poems, and Girgis Shukry with down-to-earth images and tales to tell. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe regular Literary Infuences feature is provided by the late renowned and respected Jordanian writer Ghalib Halasa from a collection of his articles on writing.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe first feature is \u003cstrong\u003eNovels by Six Iraqi authors\u003c\/strong\u003e. The novels range from works in progress to ones with great reputations and about to be published in translation, all very different but all opening up onto vivid and often painful episodes of life in Iraq – from Saadi Yousef, Mohammed Khudayyir, Lutfiya Dulaimi, Fadhil al-Azzawi, Kadhim al-Hallaq and Inaam Kachachi.  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe second feature continues the \u003cstrong\u003eNew Writing in Egypt\u003c\/strong\u003e, begun in Banipal No 25, with works by five young authors: an chapter from Yasser Abdel Latif’s \u003cem\u003eThe Law of Inheritance\u003c\/em\u003e which won the inaugural Sawaris Prise in December 2005, poems by Girgis Shukry, four tales by Mustafa Zikri, chapters from Hamdy el-Gazzar’s novel \u003cem\u003eSehrun Aswad [Black Magic]\u003c\/em\u003e, and a short story written in English directly by Youssef Rakha.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Travelling Tale\u003c\/strong\u003e is by Ali Mosbah, from his novel \u003cem\u003eMudun wa Wujooh [Cities and Faces]\u003c\/em\u003e, which won the Ibn Battuta Prize for Travel Writing in 2004. \u003cstrong\u003eInterview with An Editor\u003c\/strong\u003e is with Michael Beard and Adnan Haydar of Syracuse Press, who are editors of the press’s Middle East Literature in Translation series.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In  addition to book reviews, Banipal No 26 includes Books in Brief, which will be a regular column which will enable readers to dip into all the books we receive for review.  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCONTENTS:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ecover artist: Sattar Kawoosh\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEDITORIAL Four Arab authors touring in Britain\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJamal Mahjoub – A short story In the Long Shadows\u003cbr\u003eHassan Nassr – “Earthquake Nightmare” A chapter from the novel Return to Dar al-Basha\u003cbr\u003eSiham Bouhlal – Three Poems\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLITERARY INFLUENCES\u003cbr\u003eGhalib Halasa We are the Generation without Teachers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNOVELS BY SIX IRAQI AUTHORS\u003cbr\u003eSaadi Youssef – “Fadhil al-Marzoog” An excerpt from Triangle of the Circle\u003cbr\u003eMohammad Khudayyir – “First Exploration” An excerpt from Basrayatha\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSaadi Youssef – TRIBUTE to Mahdi Issa al-Saqr\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLutfiyya Dulaimi – An excerpt from Hayat’s Garden\u003cbr\u003eFadhil al-Azzawi – Burhan Abdullah’s Secret Chest An excerpt from The Last of the Angels\u003cbr\u003eKadhim al-Hallaq – An excerpt from My One-Eyed Father and his Six Wives\u003cbr\u003eInaam Kachachi – A chapter from Streams of Hearts\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNEW WRITING IN EGYPT continued\u003cbr\u003eYasser Abdel Latif – A chapter from The Law of Inheritance\u003cbr\u003eGirgis Shukry – Four Poems\u003cbr\u003eMustafa Zikri – Four Tales\u003cbr\u003eHamdy el-Gazzar – Chapters from the novel Black Magic\u003cbr\u003eYoussef Rakha – A short story Dead Man’s Town\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA TRAVELLNG TALE\u003cbr\u003eAli Mosbah – Istanbul Diary\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eINTERVIEW WITH AN EDITOR\u003cbr\u003eMichel Beard and Adnan Haydar, Editors, Middle East Literature in Translation Series, Syracuse University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBOOK REVIEWS\u003cbr\u003eSusannah Tarbush In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar\u003cbr\u003eZuzana Kratka Le roman arabe by Kadhim Jihad Hassan\u003cbr\u003eMargaret Obank Burning in the Past Tense by Suhail Shadoud\u003cbr\u003eHussain al-Mozany Sophia by Mohammad Hassan Alwan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBOOKS IN BRIEF\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eContributors and Translators\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Banipal Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Book","offer_id":1040839492,"sku":"1814714615363","price":10.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0441\/7369\/products\/2_2_0c279aef-62e1-489b-9c38-c8e3087242f2.jpeg?v=1752237878"}],"url":"https:\/\/inpressbooks.co.uk\/collections\/youssef-rakha\/pauline-kaldas.oembed","provider":"Inpress Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}