I always turn to Drawn and Quarterly first when hunting for unique illustrated stories. Whether it’s comics from Sweden or Israel, or graphic novels from Finland or Japan, I know I’ll find something special in their forthcoming titles. This Montreal-based publisher is an award-winning producer of original and translated comics from around the world with … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Drawn & Quarterly
One of my favorite things about traveling and exploring different cultures is trying new foods. Cooking and eating are a staple of every way of life, and yet the endless ways in which ingredients and spices can be combined fascinates me. Things get even more interesting when cultures meet: a chef moves from Syria … Continue reading Malakeh
I hadn’t read a literary work with such care for the characters and a narrative that weaves humanity’s impulses, tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses with everyday forces of nature. Mien, Hoan, Bon, Xa, and the communities in which they reside are written richly and compellingly. Their often unpredictable actions build layers of smoke, and their relationships … Continue reading International Banned Book: No Man’s Land by Duong Thu Huong
I confess myself bowled over in appreciation of Ghada Samman’s compelling new novel, Farewell, Damascus, recounting a young married girl’s awakening sense of having lost her life after handing it over to a man she once loved, now become her hateful enemy. This young woman freely determines each day how to live dependent on … Continue reading Farewell Damascus
The Human is the Poetry of the Universe “The word in poetry must transcend its essence, it must swell and include more” As befits a poet of his name, the span of Adonis’s work – the parabolas of his vision – carry over great distances, both of space and time, or more accurately they dismantle … Continue reading Adonis: Selected Poems
In his obituary to the celebrated Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani, published a few days after his death in May 1998, Adel Darwish writes that “for Qabbani, national liberation was meaningless without sexual liberation.” Qabbani, who had spent much of his life as a diplomat and ardent Arab nationalist, also spent much of his life … Continue reading Arabian Love Poems: Full Arabic and English Texts
When I love I feel that I am the king of time I possess the earth and everything on it and ride into the sun upon my horse. When I love I become liquid light invisible to the eye and the poems in my notebooks become fields of mimosa and poppy. When … Continue reading “When I Love”
In 2001, following the release of several hundred political prisoners, the Syrian government ordered the closure of its most notorious detention center—Tadmur Military Prison. Located in the desert near the ancient site of Palmyra and originally built by the French Mandate authorities, Tadmur has been described as a "kingdom of death and madness" by Syrian … Continue reading The Shell
The fact that global attention has recently been directed exclusively to the experience of the Civil War in Syria that started in 2011 has led to a lack of recognition for contemporary Syrian cultural works that were produced prior to 2011. Today’s review is about one such work by Mohammad al-Attar. Mohammad al-Attar is … Continue reading Withdrawal
There’s something distinctive about Enchanted Lion Books publications. Yes, this family-owned indie publisher of translated and original children’s books maintains a multinational scope with an emphasis on European titles. Yes, Enchanted Lion Books offers a range of children’s fiction, wordless picture books, comics, and nonfiction titles from around the world. However, it is the press’ … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Enchanted Lion Press
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 