Middle East/North African Lit discussion

Dear All,
I hope this finds you well. Who is interested in reading some poetry in April to June? I have plans to read The Translator of Desires: Poems by Ibn Arabi (translated by Michael Sells) for some pre-modern Arabic mystical love poetry, as well as تجاوز for contemporary poetry by a poet from Saudi Arabia (only in Arabic for now). What about you?

I am very tempted by The Translator of Desires, glad to learn of it from you.

I tried out 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye but didn't get too far before I decided the writing wasn't doing much for me unfortunately.

I am planning on a novel that apparently incorporates poetry throughout- When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar. And I'm also interested in checking out Warsan Shire's Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth.

Sounds good Jen!

Hi, only recently have I got interested in Arab poetry. Palestinian poetry has helped me appreciate it and I have enjoyed reading Taha Muhammad Ali and Heba Abu Nada.

Does anybody have any recommendations on anthologies or poets whose works are translated in English? It doesn't have to be Palestinian poetry.

Plus, any (translated) Arab narrative verse poetry recommendations?

I can recommend poetry by Mourid Barghouti, Mahmoud Darwish, and perhaps Mohja Kahf. I say perhaps because as far as I know, she writes in English only, but it might be of interest still.

I like reading Darwish's poems. Will check the works of Barghouti and Kahf. Thank you :)

Great! Let us know if you find any favorites. Here's an excerpt from an article I read in 2008 (link to full text provided), with Mourid Barghouti's take on the importance of Arabic poetry:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...

Despite the many obstacles it faces - censorship, a lack of translations, exile - Arabic literature has never been more vital. As the London Book Fair this week celebrates publishing from Arab countries, we asked authors and critics about the challenges of writing today and which works they think the world should have the chance to read

Mourid Barghouti
Palestinian poet and writer
Arabic literature, both classical and modern, is almost absent from the world stage. The dominant culture of our times, western culture, has not seen other languages, discourses and civilisations as equally worthy approaches to the world. We'll reach nowhere if the concept of "universality" is not re-examined. No western writer questions his or her universality; it is the Arabs, the Africans and the Asians who should aspire to reach it, through translation. Translation being a chance, a favour, a medal, a stamp of recognition and a password to open the space for the lucky newcomers.
The current European trend for publishing Arabic modern novels is a good thing, but the scene will never be complete without paying attention to 1,500 years of Arabic poetry. As a start, I would really love to read in English an anthology of the beautiful Arabic poetry from the pre-Islamic period to modern times. It would be a tremendously valuable addition to world literature.

Melanie wrote: "Great! Let us know if you find any favorites. Here's an excerpt from an article I read in 2008 (link to full text provided), with Mourid Barghouti's take on the importance of Arabic poetry:

https:..."

I love these excerpts, Melanie, thanks for sharing! I love her highlighting the importance of Arabic poetry and its history, as well as her questioning of universality too.
It reminds me of a podcast I heard fairly recently with writer Percival Everett. At one point, Everett and the show host also discussed the concept of universality and the unfortunate thing of white westerners who assume their writing is universal. I loved when Everett says "the idea of the universal doesn't exist in the creator of the work of art. [It] exists in the nature of art, in that when the viewer, the reader, the audience comes to it, that reader finds what she or he needs to find in it to have it make sense to them. It's not a question of a writer deciding that something is universal. It's an extrapolation from a story to something greater... and that only happens in the reader."

I just love these ideas. But this is getting away from the topic of poetry. I'm glad y'all have reminded of Darwish. That was a name I noted some time ago as someone to explore but still haven't yet.

Also, by the way, I was hoping to make time for The Translator of Desires by Ibn Arabi by the end of the quarter. I found a digital library copy. Melanie, have you been enjoying it, or have you not started yet?

Yes, I enjoyed it so much that my next blog post (May 1) includes the most famous poem in the collection. The translation and notes are excellent.

Such a lovely extract. Thanks for sharing Melanie!

Here is the new blog post I mentioned: Ibn Arabi, Love, and Resilience. Includes poem handout https://www.melaniemagidow.com/2024/0...

Just remembered one more bilingual poetry collection I should have recommended earlier: Arabian Love Poems: Full Arabic and English Texts. Nizar Qabbani's poetry has been popular for decades, very accessible for a wide range of people.

And while I'm here, if you don't know it already, there's a great performance of the poem al-ta'shira (The Visa) that went viral several years ago. There's a link to the video, along with my English translation, on my blog here: https://www.melaniemagidow.com/2021/0...

I just finished Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head: Poems by Warsan Shire and loved it. I had originally intended to read her earlier book but it wasn't available and this one was.
Kinda funny, I read an ebook and only at the end did I realize there was a glossary for the Somali language/culture/religious references. So I read it again a little less slowly. I had got most the references from own research but the second read made me love the poems even more. I would love to have a hard copy of this one and read more from her.

Looks great! Thanks for letting us know. I hope to read it