Some of the more interesting book reviews and interviews I've read this weekend:
At SFGate, Carolina de Robertis reviews Sudden Fiction Latino, a comprehensive Norton anthology of flash fiction and microfiction from Latino writers throughout North, Central, and South America--from the internationally acclaimed Gabriel García Márquez to writers barely known in the United States, like Rodrigo Rey Rosa of Guatemala.
Robert McCrum of The Observer presents an amusing interview with Lorrie Moore, the American novelist and short story writer known for her brevity and tragicomic tone. Her latest novel, A Gate at the Stairs, offers a glimpse into the lives of Americans in the years between September 11 and the United States invasion of Iraq and has been longlisted for the Orange Prize.
Shabnam Minwalla of The Times of India provides some context for the latest Stieg Larsson craze, offering a biographical sketch of the best-selling, deceased, Swedish crime novelist and providing reviews of his Millennium Trilogy--The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.
A Saudi Arabian novel about divorce, sexual oppression, and superstition during the first Gulf War has recently been translated by Anthony Calderbank and published by the American University Press. Munira's Bottle by Youssef al-Mohaimeed and its translation are reviewed by Amany Aly Shawky at AlMasryAlYoum.
William Skidelsky of The Observer details the life and works of David Mitchell, a young British novelist whose complex, experimental, diverse novels have become a bestselling, postmodern sensation.
Showing posts with label Saudi Arabia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saudi Arabia. Show all posts
11 April 2010
04 April 2010
Award-winning author to be sued by publicity-seeking composer
Saudi Arabian novelist Abdo Khal, winner of the 2010 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (the "Arabic Booker") on March 2, is to be sued by Egyptian composer Mohammad Raheem on grounds of libel.
Mohammad Raheem is also the name of a character in Khal's award-winning book She Throws Sparks, a composer who romances and mentors a prostitute in Jeddah. The real Raheem, who has composed music for several Arabic stars, has told Egyptian media that he requests the banning of Khal's book, the arrest of Khal, and the clearing of his name in the eyes of his family and associates.
Khal has insisted that the similarity of names and professions is coincidental and intended no harm. The name is, indeed, quite common.
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction, which is supported by the UK Booker Prize Foundation and funded by the Emirates Foundation of the UAE, carries with it a cash prize of $60,000. This year, its third, the prize committee attracted 113 nominations from seventeen countries. Winning the award promises not only financial security but also increased international recognition and accolades and future publication and translation deals.
According to The Tanjara:
Khal's book, whose full title is Spewing Sparks as Big as Castles (an allusion to a Quranic verse about Hell), should--as a result of the award--be published into English soon. A bitingly satirical look at the destructive power of wealth on life and the environment, the novel is unavailable in Khal's home country, where the criticisms allegedly strike too closely at the ruling elites.
Mohammad Raheem is also the name of a character in Khal's award-winning book She Throws Sparks, a composer who romances and mentors a prostitute in Jeddah. The real Raheem, who has composed music for several Arabic stars, has told Egyptian media that he requests the banning of Khal's book, the arrest of Khal, and the clearing of his name in the eyes of his family and associates.
Khal has insisted that the similarity of names and professions is coincidental and intended no harm. The name is, indeed, quite common.
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction, which is supported by the UK Booker Prize Foundation and funded by the Emirates Foundation of the UAE, carries with it a cash prize of $60,000. This year, its third, the prize committee attracted 113 nominations from seventeen countries. Winning the award promises not only financial security but also increased international recognition and accolades and future publication and translation deals.
According to The Tanjara:
The Administrator of the Prize, Joumana Haddad, commented: “The importance of the IPAF lies not only in its financial value, but in the social and cultural influence it has, the most important aspect of which is supporting high quality Arabic fiction and encouraging both writers and readers to consider writing and reading as vital acts."
Khal's book, whose full title is Spewing Sparks as Big as Castles (an allusion to a Quranic verse about Hell), should--as a result of the award--be published into English soon. A bitingly satirical look at the destructive power of wealth on life and the environment, the novel is unavailable in Khal's home country, where the criticisms allegedly strike too closely at the ruling elites.
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