The Summer issue of Banipal offers readers a kaleidoscope of works that once dipped into will be hard to put down, presenting authors from Palestine, Iraq, Oman, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, the Emirates and Yemen, plus cover artist Dima Hajjar from Lebanon. The issue opens with a poignant but down-to-earth story by prize-winning young palestinian author Ala' Hlehel, narrated by an elderly lady whose husband is a bus driver. This is followed by a poem from the latest collection of the internationally known and well-loved Mahmoud Darwish. There are two major features. The first is on leading Omani poet Saif a-Rahbi, with thirteen striking poems translated by Anto Shammas from different collections, a fascinating interview conducted in Muscat by Abdulla al-Harrasi, and articles highlighting al-Rahbi's life and work by fellow poet Fadhil al-Azzawi, critic Fakhri Salih, poet and critic Eskander Habache and publisher-poet Khalid al-Maaly. The second feature is on the late Syrian poet Saniya Salih, who during her lifetime was denied the recognition for her poetry that she deserved. Fellow Syrian Abed Ismael, some of whose poems are included in this issue, introduces her work. A selection of poems translated by Issa J Boullata follows, with a study by Lebanese poet and Al-Hayat cultural editor Abdo Wazen into Salih's life and her isolation and feelings of victimhood that are reflected in her work. Two powerful figures from North Africa, both writing in French, are Abdellatif Laabi from Morocco and Abdelwahab Meddeb from Tunisia: Chapters from Laabi's novel Le Fond de la Jarre descrbe in engaging and intimate detail the ritual of choosing a suitable bride for the marriage "market". Meddeb's poems, translated by James Kirkup, are tough, direct and searing, in particular the long prose piece "Blackness at Noon". As part of the work to extend intercultural dialogue, Lebanese poet and journalist Joumana Haddad writes about her interviews with international authors such as Paul Auster, Umberto Eco and Jose Saramago and how they gave her an "exceptional gift". Peter Ripken, of Literatur Nachrichten, is this issue's magazine editor in our series of interviews by Samuel Shimon, who also kicks off a new series of illustrated TRAVELLING TALES with Steppenwolf Goes to San Francisco - by train from New York! For Banipal's highly successful LITERARY INFLUENCES series Iraqi poet Fadhil al-Azzawi, recently returned from a reading tour in the USA, writes about the books that influenced him in his early years. I Lived a Magical Feast is his captivating story. In all these ways Banipal plays its part in deepening cultural dialogue, a dialogue which not only brings contemporary Arab literature into the West and communities of readers together but also, crucially, promotes the universal human values which alone can enable different cultures to understand and live with each other.
From a review of Banipal Issue 23 (Summer 2005) The fiction contents of Banipal 23 are every bit as good as the poetry....I’ve come across a lot of literary magazines in my time and Banipal is without question one of the best I’ve ever seen. The quality of the writing is consistently high and I found the magazine impossible to put down once I started reading it. Banipal is not just for people who already have an interest in modern Arab literature, it can be enjoyed by anyone who loves great poetry and prose. Opening its pages is the start of a great literary adventure. I can’t wait to read the next issue.
Kara Keller Bell
Have you read Banipal Magazine - Issue 23 by Obank, Margaret (Ed)? - Add your own review
