Arab Writers

The Tunisian novelist speaks to Al Majalla about her critically-acclaimed novel that blends imagined scandal with real political memory and why fiction is her chosen form of truth

Breaking into a literary sphere dominated by established names is difficult. Al Majalla speaks to several new authors from the Arab world about their experiences.

Algerian author Sara Al-Nams delves deep into the downside of literary awards, the place of women in literature, and why a thousand words can't measure up to a loaf of bread in times of war.

Best known to the Arab world for a novel translated from French, this Algerian visionary playwright thought that true poetry came from chaos

In her novel "Land of the Turtle," Palestinian author Liana Badr envisions a different future for the Arab-Israeli conflict through the recollections of her fictional character in the year 2048.

Artists like Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Arthur Rimbaud and Imru' al-Qais made a long-lasting impact in their youth. Why, then, does the Arab world shun new voices?

In an interview with Al Majalla, Al-Zahrani discusses his prestigious appointment as director of the Arab World Institute in Paris and why he chose to quit while at the zenith of his career

International Prize for Arabic Fiction puts the spotlight on shortlisted books as well as the winner, raising profiles and sales, as the writer of The Farthest Horizon tells Al Majalla.

A discussion about migrant literature, writing and translating in Italian, and the effect of his best-known works

Does the chance of acclaim change the motivation of writers? Can stories win awards without conforming to the requirements of prizegivers, or does the ceremony just distract from the creative process?