We talk about passion projects, the value of intellectual labor, and the ups and downs of making a living (sort of) writing about books.

We talk about passion projects, the value of intellectual labor, and the ups and downs of making a living (sort of) writing about books.

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.

Work-Lit Balance

Twenty years after the disastrous and mendacious US invasion of Iraq, we take a look at writing from Iraq: memoirs, poems and blog posts. Shalash the Iraqi is a collection of such posts – a satirical, surreal, and affecting panorama in life in a Shia suburb of Baghdad in the early years of the occupation. 

Show Notes:

An excerptfrom Gaith Abdul-ahad’s memoir A Stranger In Your Own City ran recently in the Guardian

Shalash The Iraqi, trans. Luke Leafgren, is a collection of blog posts written in 2005-2006 

An excerpt from Faleeha Hassan’s memoir War and Me, tans. William Hutchins ran on Arablit.org.

The Book of Trivialities, by Majed Mujid, trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid

The only English-language collection of Sargon Boulous’ self-translated poetry is Knife Sharpener from Banipal Books. You can find a list of his poems available online here. 

You can make a donation to support BULAQ's 2023 season here: https://donorbox.org/support-bulaq

Twenty years after the disastrous and mendacious US invasion of Iraq, we take a look at writing from Iraq: memoirs, poems and blog posts. Shalash the Iraqi is a collection of such posts – a satirical, surreal, and affecting panorama in life in a Shia suburb of Baghdad in the early years of the occupation. 
Show Notes:
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/21/baghdad-memories-what-the-first-few-months-of-the-us-occupation-felt-like-to-an-iraqi">An excerpt</a> from Gaith Abdul-ahad’s memoir A Stranger In Your Own City ran recently in the Guardian
<a href="https://www.andotherstories.org/shalash-the-iraqi/">Shalash The Iraqi</a>, trans. Luke Leafgren, is a collection of blog posts written in 2005-2006 
<a href="https://arablit.org/2023/03/21/an-excerpt-from-faleeha-hassans-war-and-me/">An excerpt</a> from Faleeha Hassan’s memoir War and Me, tans. William Hutchins ran on Arablit.org.
<a href="https://gutterbookshop.com/product/the-book-of-trivialities-by-majed-mujed-paperback-april-2023/">The Book of Trivialities</a>, by Majed Mujid, trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid
The only English-language collection of Sargon Boulous’ self-translated poetry is <a href="https://www.banipal.co.uk/banipal_books/70/knife-sharpener/">Knife Sharpener</a> from Banipal Books. You can find a list of his poems available online <a href="https://arablit.org/2013/10/24/two-newly-translated-poems-by-sargon-boulus/">here</a>. 
You can make a donation to support BULAQ's 2023 season here: <a href="https://donorbox.org/support-bulaq">https://donorbox.org/support-bulaq</a>

Looking Back From Iraq

We wandered through Arabic poetry and prose to talk about many different forms of literary love: regretful love, unreciprocated love, bad love, vengeful love, liberating love, married love. 

We read this poem by Núra al-Hawshán: 
“O eyes, pour me the clearest, freshest tears
And when the fresh part’s over, pour me the dregs.
O eyes, gaze at his harvest and guard it.
Keep watch upon his water-camels, look at his well.
If he passes me on the road
I can’t speak to him.
O God, such affliction
And utter calamity!
Whoever desires us
We scorn to desire,
And whom we desire
Feeble fate does not deliver.”

The Núra al-Hawshán poem, translated by Moneera al-Ghadeer, has a modern musical adaptation on YouTube produced by Majed Al Esa.

Yasmine Seale’s translation of Ulayya Bint El Mahdi. This poem and others were set to music on the album “Medieval Femme.”

Do’a al-Karawan (“The Nightingale’s Prayer”) by Taha Hussein

I Do Not Sleep, Ihsan Abdel Kouddous, trans. Jonathan Smolin

The Cairo Trilogy, Naguib Mahfouz (1956-57)

Al-Bab al-Maftouh (The Open Door) Latifa al-Zayyat, trans. Marilyn Booth (1960) 

All That I Want to Forget, by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated by Michele Henjum.

Rita and the Rifle, Mahmoud Darwish, made into a song by Marcel Khalife. 

Ode to My Husband, Who Brings the Music by Zeina Hashem Beck

We wandered through Arabic poetry and prose to talk about many different forms of literary love: regretful love, unreciprocated love, bad love, vengeful love, liberating love, married love. 
We read this poem by Núra al-Hawshán:  “O eyes, pour me the clearest, freshest tears And when the fresh part’s over, pour me the dregs. O eyes, gaze at his harvest and guard it. Keep watch upon his water-camels, look at his well. If he passes me on the road I can’t speak to him. O God, such affliction And utter calamity! Whoever desires us We scorn to desire, And whom we desire Feeble fate does not deliver.”
The Núra al-Hawshán poem, translated by Moneera al-Ghadeer, has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvzQ1tUZFMg">a modern musical adaptation on YouTube</a> produced by Majed Al Esa.
Yasmine Seale’s translation of <a href="https://sultansseal.com/2018/05/25/ulayya-bint-al-mahdis-epigram-by-yasmine-seale/">Ulayya Bint El Mahdi</a>. This poem and others were set to music on the album “<a href="https://arablit.org/2021/09/23/10-poems-for-medieval-femme-inspired-by-al-khansa/">Medieval Femme</a>.”
Do’a al-Karawan (“The Nightingale’s Prayer”) by Taha Hussein
<a href="https://aucpress.com/product/i-do-not-sleep/">I Do Not Sleep</a>, Ihsan Abdel Kouddous, trans. Jonathan Smolin
The Cairo Trilogy, Naguib Mahfouz (1956-57)
Al-Bab al-Maftouh (The Open Door) Latifa al-Zayyat, trans. Marilyn Booth (1960) 
<a href="https://amzn.to/2E8hi9B">All That I Want to Forget</a>, by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated by Michele Henjum.
Rita and the Rifle, Mahmoud Darwish, made into<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIs4azDRfPk"> a song by Marcel Khalife</a>. 
<a href="http://cordite.org.au/poetry/bayt/ode-to-my-husband-who-brings-the-music/">Ode to My Husband, Who Brings the Music</a> by Zeina Hashem Beck

Love and its Discontents

Marque 03

It’s literary prize season! When the Sawiris Cultural Awards were announced at the start of 2023, novelist Shady Lewis Botros turned his novel award down, launching a storm of criticism, defense, and discussion. Is it bad manners or good politics to turn down a prize? How do different prizes affect the literary landscape? How is the 2023 prize season shaping up?

Show Notes: 

Mada Masr published “A conversation with Shady Lewis Botros on the genealogy of literary refusal”

The International Prize for Arabic Fiction recently announced their 2023 longlist, with a historically high number of women writers (half).

Also in Jan 2023, Banipal Prize judges announced that two novels had won their 2022 prize. By coincidence, we did a joint episode on those two novels.

PEN America recently announced their lit-prize longlists. Iman Mersal’s The Threshold, translated by Robyn Creswell, made the poetry-in-translation longlist.

In December 2022, Fatima Qandil’s Empty Cages won the Naguib Mahfouz medal, and she said it was the first time she’d won a prize.

It’s literary prize season! When the Sawiris Cultural Awards were announced at the start of 2023, novelist Shady Lewis Botros turned his novel award down, launching a storm of criticism, defense, and discussion. Is it bad manners or good politics to turn down a prize? How do different prizes affect the literary landscape? How is the 2023 prize season shaping up?
Show Notes: 
Mada Masr published “<a href="https://www.madamasr.com/en/2023/01/15/feature/culture/a-conversation-with-shady-lewis-botros-on-the-genealogy-of-literary-refusal/">A conversation with Shady Lewis Botros on the genealogy of literary refusal</a>”
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction <a href="https://arablit.org/2023/01/24/international-prize-for-arabic-fiction-announces-2023-longlist-showcasing-an-impulse-to-record-historic-events/">recently announced their 2023 longlist</a>, with a historically high number of women writers (half).
Also in Jan 2023,<a href="https://arablit.org/2023/01/12/joint-winners-for-this-years-banipal-translation-prize-humphrey-davies-and-robin-moger/"> Banipal Prize judges announced that two novels had won their 2022 prize</a>. By coincidence, we did <a href="https://www.sowt.com/en/podcast/bulaq/stealing-drug-dealing-epic-egyptian-migration">a joint episode</a> on those two novels.
PEN America recently announced their lit-prize longlists. Iman Mersal’s The Threshold, translated by Robyn Creswell,<a href="https://arablit.org/2023/01/20/noor-naga-sofia-samatar-zein-el-amine-iman-mersal-robyn-creswell-make-2023-pen-literary-awards-longlists/"> made the poetry-in-translation longlist</a>.
In December 2022, <a href="https://arablit.org/2022/12/11/fatma-qandils-empty-cages-wins-2022-naguib-mahfouz-medal-for-literature/">Fatima Qandil’s Empty Cages won the Naguib Mahfouz medal</a>, and she said it was the first time she’d won a prize.

Work-Lit Balance

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