This week’s Publisher Spotlight is all about the “leading English-language publisher in Egypt and the Middle East”—The American University in Cairo Press. AUC Press is a predominantly academic publisher that offers titles in twelve main categories, which include ancient Egypt, Islam and Coptic Studies, Middle Eastern art, and Arabic language learning, among other genres. Their works are JSTOR regulars, and can be found in university libraries around the world.

The Cairo-based AUC Press team not only supports gorgeous nonfiction titles centered on the Middle East, but also the translation of award-winning fiction by Arabic writers into English via their new imprint, Hoopoe. The forthcoming novel, Fractured Destinies, is an excellent example of Hoopoe’s commitment to bringing the best Arabic fiction to English-reading audiences. Written by journalist and author Rabai al-Madhoun and translated by Paul Starkey, this novel traverses Palestinian history while exposing the ramifications and tragedies of exile. Al-Madhoun’s four-part story won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2016, and I am greatly anticipating the reviews that will follow its English-language release.

Other notable forthcoming novels in translation from Hoopoe include:

Tales of Yusuf Tadras written by Adel Esmat and translated by Mandy McClure

Cigarette Number Seven written by Donia Kamal and translated by Nariman Youssef

Click here for Hoopoe’s complete book list. See Hoopoe’s “What Can You Expect?” excerpt below.

“Hoopoe will appeal to bookworms of historical fiction set in far-flung lands, thriller lovers with a taste for intrigue, and crime fanatics who crave Noir. It is for the curious, growing Arab diaspora; students of and visitors to the Middle East; and those with a professional interest in the seismic changes reshaping people’s lives across this enigmatic part of the world.”

Learn more about the history and mission statement of this new imprint on the “About Hoopoe” page. A full history of AUC Press can be found here.

By Chelsey Slattum