The folks over at the Middle East Institute interviewed me regarding Arab Science Fiction, the interview is now up on their website. Interview at the Middle East Institute – Singapore National University
Ian Campbell has an excellent review of Muhammad Aziz Lahbabi’s The Elixir of Life in last year’s Science Fiction review. Lahbabi was a Professor of Literature from Morocco. Here is a relevant excerpt from the review: Near the end of the main narrative of ‘Iksîr al-HE ayât [The ElixirContinue Reading
Sherif Adel’s Foot 3aleyna Bokra (Pass By Tomorrow) is an Egyptian comic set 1000 years in the future where technology has progressed but the problems that the Egyptian people face on a daily basis remain more or less the same. Here is an except from an interview of the author doneContinue Reading
The Iraqi Novelist Ahmad Saadawi was first short listed and then won the International Prize for Arab Fiction for his very interesting and original take on the Frankenstein Monster. His novel Frankenstein fi Baghdad (Frankenstein in Baghdad) is a new take on the story of Frankenstein. The story is centered around Hadi Al-AttagContinue Reading
The ArabLit website has a nice article on translating Science Fiction into arabic. The Whys and Wherefores of Translating Science Fiction into Arabic by mlynxqualey At this year’s Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, YA author and would-be/will-be publisher Noura al-Noman drove in from Sharjah to talk about translating literature for young people.Continue Reading
Here we go again. Sigh: A version of this article was published in The National on Sunday, April 26 2014 THE 99’s latest challenge: A Saudi Fatwa By Naif Al-Mutawa View in Arabic Seven years ago, THE 99 were granted approvals to Saudi Arabia. What began as a suspicious relationship, my not expectingContinue Reading
Ekon is a Environmentalist Science Fiction movie which has been in development in the Middle East since 2010. The premise of the movie is that an unknown environment disaster has severely effected the planet’s biosphere. Here is the full synopsis from EKON’s official website: An unknown event has devastated Earth’sContinue Reading
1.1 is an upcoming Arabic Science Fiction black comedy movie. Not much is known about the movie at this moment other than what is available on its website. The director describes the philosophy behind the movie as follows: I’m interested in the contrast between religion and science in middle easternContinue Reading
(An illustration from one of Al-Qizwini’s books) In his review of Arabic Science Fiction Ackhmed Khammas mentions that al-Qizwini wrote a story Awaj bin Anfaq which has proto Science Fiction elements e.g., i.e., a man who came to earth from a distant planet. Abu Yahya Zakariya’ ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini (1203–1283)Continue Reading
Background: Noura Al Noman is an Emirati writer from Sharjah. She studied English literature at the UAE University and got Masters in Translation in 2004 from the American University in Sharjah. Previous to her current foray into Science Fiction she has written children’s books in the past. Ajwan is herContinue Reading