In Aziz Muhammad’s The Critical Case of a Man Named K, an unnamed narrator is diagnosed with leukemia. His 40-week journal, shaped by his readings of Kafka, Thomas Mann, Ernest Hemingway and Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, sarcastically and movingly documents his alienation from his body, his surroundings and even, eventually, from books.

Show Notes: 

An interview with translator Humphrey Davies.

We also talked about a few other works where protagonists are diagnosed with cancer:Shahla Ujayli’s A Sky So Close to Us, translated by Michelle Hartman (Interlink Books); Radwa Ashour’s Heavier than Radwa (Dar Al Shorouk), although this is a memoir; Haifa al-Bitar’s A Woman of This Modern Age (Dar Saqi); Hassan Daoud’s No Road to Paradise, translated by Marilyn Booth (Hoopoe Fiction).

We also mention some Saudi books that have won awards or attracted international attention, such as Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea and The Dove’s Necklace by Raja Alem.

In Aziz Muhammad’s The <a href="https://amzn.to/33egH1V">Critical Case of a Man Named K</a>, an unnamed narrator is diagnosed with leukemia. His 40-week journal, shaped by his readings of Kafka, Thomas Mann, Ernest Hemingway and Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, sarcastically and movingly documents his alienation from his body, his surroundings and even, eventually, from books.
Show Notes: 
An<a href="https://arablit.org/2021/05/04/humphrey-davies-on-why-the-critical-case-of-k-isnt-your-woo-woo-cliche-of-kafka/"> interview with translator Humphrey Davies</a>.
We also talked about a few other works where protagonists are diagnosed with cancer:Shahla Ujayli’s <a href="https://amzn.to/3nT3AMT">A Sky So Close to Us</a>, translated by Michelle Hartman (Interlink Books); Radwa Ashour’s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295750">Heavier than Radwa</a> (Dar Al Shorouk), although this is a memoir; Haifa al-Bitar’s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8350899">A Woman of This Modern Age</a> (Dar Saqi); Hassan Daoud’s <a href="https://amzn.to/3nLsJcs">No Road to Paradise</a>, translated by Marilyn Booth (Hoopoe Fiction).
We also mention some Saudi books that have won awards or attracted international attention, such as <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/300281/girls-of-riyadh-by-rajaa-alsanea/9780143113478/readers-guide/">Girls of Riyadh</a> by Rajaa Alsanea and <a href="https://www.arabicfiction.org/en/The-Doves-Necklace">The Dove’s Necklace</a> by Raja Alem.

BULAQ is a book-centric podcast co-hosted by Ursula Lindsey (in Amman, Jordan) and M Lynx Qualey (in Rabat, Morocco). It focuses on Arabic literature in translation and is named after the first printing press established in Egypt in 1820. Produced by Sowt.

BULAQ is a book-centric podcast co-hosted by Ursula Lindsey (in Amman, Jordan) and M Lynx Qualey (in Rabat, Morocco). It focuses on Arabic literature in translation and is named after the first printing press established in Egypt in 1820. Produced by Sowt.

BULAQ | بولاق

BULAQ is a podcast about contemporary writing from and about the Middle East and North Africa. We talk about books written in Aleppo, Cairo, Marrakech and beyond. We look at the Arab region through the lens of literature, and we look at literature -- what it does, why it matters, how it relates to society and history and politics -- from the point of view of this part of the world.  BULAQ is co-produced by ArabLit and The Arabist and is hosted by Ursula Lindsey and M Lynx Qualey.

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