Fadhil al-Azzawi

Omar al-Ansari

Hussain al-Mozany

Mohammed Hasan Alwan

Orson Welles Plaza, Essaouira

5 Editorial 6 Fadhil al-Azzawi – Excerpt from the novel Comedy of

Ghosts, translated by the author with thanks to Emily Danby 24 Omar al-Ansari – An excerpt from the novel Physician of

Timbuktu, translated by William M Hutchins 30 Hussain al-Mozany – A Day Out, a short story, translated by

Hinrich von Haaren 37 Mohammed Hasan Alwan – An excerpt from the novel Al-

Qundus, translated by BCLT literary translation workshop, led by Paul Starkey 45 TWELVE WOMEN WRITERS 46 Huzama Habayeb – A chapter from the novel When the

Queen Falls Asleep, translated by John Peate 62 Huzama Habayeb on writing – I try to find Myself 64 Leila Aboulela – Farida’s Eyes, a short story 72 Lina Hawyan al-Hassan – An excerpt from the novel Banat

Na’ash, translated by Charis Bredin 78 Lina Hawyan al-Hassan on writing – I write because I love the Bedouin 80 Hawra al-Nadawi – A chapter from the novel Under

Copenhagen’s Sky, translated by Robin Moger 91 Huda al-Jahouri – An excerpt from the novel Things are not in their Place, translated by Robin Moger 102 Farouq Youssef on Huda al-Jahouri – Questions on the woman’s table 104 Latifa Labsir – I Want to Love This Evening! a short story,

translated by Ali Azeriah 114 Fadhila el Farouk – an excerpt from the novel The Regions of Fear, translated by Ghenwa Hayek

2 BANIPAL 44 – TWELVE WOMEN WRITERS 126 Fadhila el Farouk on writing – I thought of Charles Dickens as my first boyfriend from the world of literature 128 Maha Hassan – An excerpt from the novel Umbilical Cord,

translated by Nancy Roberts 140 Maha Hassan on writing – I Came to Writing from the World of Politics 142 Renée Hayek – A Portrait of Forgetting, a short story,

translated by Robin Moger 147 Rachida el-Charni – An excerpt from the novel Hymns to her

Pains, translated by Robin Moger 155 Mansoura Ez Eldin – Another Woman, a short story translated by Camilo Gomez-Rivas A TRAVELLING TALE 160 Hanane Derkaoui – ESSAOUIRA • an excerpt from the novel

The Waist and The Homeland, translated by Ali Azeriah LITERARY INFLUENCES 171 Habib Selmi – A House with no Books

GUEST WRITER 179 Marilyn Hacker – Poems and winning the 2011 International

Argana Poetry Award

BOOK REVIEWS 188 Sally Gomaa (Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge) by Ezzedine Choukri

Fishere 192 André Naffis-Sahely Les Plumes (The Feathers) by Salim Barakat 196 Lulu Norman PROUD BEGGARS by Albert Cossery 200 Mona Zaki Utopia by Ahmed Khaled Towfik 202 Norbert Hirschhorn Judgment Day by Rasha al Ameer 203 Norbert Hirschhorn Out of It by Selma Dabbagh 206 Susannah Tarbush A Tunisian Tale by Hassouna Mosbahi 209 Susannah Tarbush The Hashish Waiter by Khairy Shalaby 212 Olivia Snaije Ya Salam! by Najwa Barakat 214 BOOKS IN BRIEF – Fiction, Poetry, Memoir and Non-Fiction

EVENT 216 Tripoli, Libya: Tripoli International Poetry Festival 218 CONTRIBUTORS

LAST PAGE 221 Mariam al-Saedi – Letter from Abu Dhabi

Marilyn Hacker

Habib Selmi

Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge

Tripoli Poetr y Festival

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Mariam al-Saedi in Korea

BANIPAL 44 – SUMMER 2012 3