Book Rec
There is a particular pleasure in finding an author who writes in a style/genre that you learned to like in another language first. Helping someone else with such as discovery is just as fulfilling! The following inquiry came from a friend who teaches Arabic in a U.S. university. Her first language is English, but she is near-native in Arabic and wants ideas of fun books to read in Arabic (I’ve included English translations if available as well). Reply if you have ideas!
Ahlan Melanie,
In English, I like mysteries with well-developed characters that move along but aren’t too gruesome–something like Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear or Inspector Gamache by Louise Penny. If you have any ideas for Arabic titles like that let me know! – E.
Nice, thanks for sharing. I love Maisie Dobbs (have read them all, like the 1st one best). I’ve read only one Gamache (Beautiful Mystery, in monastery and so not exactly representative of the series). I like character development and storytelling, with some appreciation for description / poetic language. Not a lot of mysteries in Arabic with character development (although there are police procedurals – Jonathan Smolin has translated some from North Africa.)
Here are a few more ideas…
في قلبي أنثى عبرية A Jewish Girl Lies within My Heart by Khawla Hamdi
This one I enjoyed as an audiobook on the app Kitab Sawti, and it has pretty high reader reviews. I found the story interesting and compelling (starts out about a Muslim girl raised in a Jewish family in Tunisia). It was suspenseful for me. Available on Amazon Kindle as Ebook.
Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge by Ezzedine Fishere
We’re currently reading this in the MENA Goodreads group. Seems to have good character development. I’ve just started it: so far it’s a sensitive look at a Columbia U. professor coming to the end of his days. He’s looking back, taking stock, and making some changes. The characters and relationships span the U.S. and Egypt. Carefully written. For more, see the Arablit Q&A with the author here and with the translator here.
لعفاف طباله
I read the free Kindle sample of this and liked it (it’s on my to-read list!). An endearing memoir of a young girl in early/mid 20th c. Egypt. Available on Amazon Kindle.
رضوى عاشور
Radwa Ashour
Also, you might really like writing by Radwa Ashour (Michelle Hartman just translated her ِِAl-Rihla/The Journey – I have a blog post about her here – For fiction, I’d start with her Granata trilogy – this is one that I could reread every several years)
إملي نصرالله
Emily Nasrallah
ربيع جابر
Rabee Jaber
Also consider Emily Nasrallah (I started with essays from her early journalist career, titled في البال – I have a blog post about her here).
I’d also recommend to you أميركا by Rabee Jaber. Follows the true story of a woman who immigrated from Lebanon to the United States in the early 20th c. Seemed very relatable to me. I heard a rumor that Marilyn Booth is translating it to English…
Readers, do you have other suggestions?