Synopsis
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. CONTENTS Cover artist: Dima Hajjar Ala’ Hlehel A short story My Husband is a Bus Driver Mahmoud Darwish A Poem Not Like a Foreign Tourist Would Duna Ghali A short story Sip FEATURE ON Omani poet Saif al-Rahbi with poems translated by Anton Shammas, introduction by Fadhil al-Azzawi, interview by Abdulla al-Harrasi and profiles by Fakhri Saleh, Eskandar Habache and Khalid al-Maaly Abdellatif Laâbi Excerpt from Le Fond de la Jarre Abdelwahab Meddeb Five Poems Joumana Haddad Article The Forty Thieves of Fire and Me Hamid al-Iqabi A short story The Banjo Player Mowaffk al-Sawad Three Poems FEATURE ON Syrian poet Saniya Salih (1939-1995) with poems translated by Issa J Boullata, an introduction by Abed Ismael and profile by Abdo Wazen LITERARY INFLUENCES Fadhil al-Azzawi I Lived a Magical Feast Thani al-Suweidi Six Poems Jad el-Hage A chapter from the novel The Myrtle Bush Suleman Taufiq Fourteen Poems Abu-Youssef Taha A short story Black Lilies Abed Ismael Three Poems Nadiah Alkokabany A short story Fireworks to Celebrate a Deflowering Haggag Hassan Oddoul A short story Nights of Musk INTERVIEW WITH AN EDITOR Peter Ripken, of Literatur Nachrichten A TRAVELLING TALE Samuel Shimon Steppenwolf Goes to San Francisco TRIBUTE Hisham Sharabi (1927–2005) BOOK REVIEWS Peter Clark Modern Arabic Literature in Translation by Salih Altoma and Lexicon Arabischer Autoren by al-Maaly & Nagger Margaret Obank Anubis by Ibrahim al-Kony Eleanor Kilroy Tomorrow is Another Day by Khalid Kishtainy
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
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