Arabic Literature Discussion Group
The Arabic Literature Discussion Group meets at 5:30 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. on the first Monday of most
months. Discussions are held in the Flatirons Meeting Room, 2nd floor of the Main Library, 11th & Arapahoe in downtown Boulder
unless otherwise noted.
Note: Because COVID-19 precautions continue to be wise, we will provide remote conferencing
using Jitsi if requested to do so prior to the meeting.
For more information, please contact
Bill at bill4gb AT gmail DOT com, or 3.449.4136.
2024 Schedule
June
3, 2024
Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz (second half of 544 pages)
May
6, 2024
Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz (first half of 544 pages)
April 1, 2024 The Woman Who Would Be King by Kara Cooney (Hatshepsut Biography, 277 pages)
March 4, 2024 The Twenty-Ninth Year by Hala Alyan (poetry, 81 pages)
February
5, 2024
Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam by Zainab Salbi (295 pages)
(Note: No meeting in January.)
2023
December
11, 2023
Witness in Palestine : a Jewish American woman in the occupied territories by Anna Baltzer (397 pages)
See also an example of how Arabs are treated at Israeli checkpoints:
"The Present" (24 minute video)
November 6, 2023 Bitter Orange Tree by Jokha Alharthi (224 pages)
October
2, 2023
The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf (293 pages)
Note: This meeting is from 3:30 to 5:00 in the Main Library Study Room #2.
September
11, 2023
One Thousand and One Nights by Hanan al-Shaykh (306 pages)
(Note: This is the second Monday in September)
August 7, 2023 The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East (1978-1984) by Riad Sattouf (153 page graphic novel)
July
10, 2023
A History of Islam in 21 Women by Hossein Kamaly (261 pages)
(Note: This is the second Monday in July)
June
5, 2023
Fast Times in Palestine by Pamela J. Olson (320 pages)
(author present via this Zoom
link)
Note: The meeting will be in the Main Library's first floor Boulder Creek Room from 5:15 to 6:45.
May 1, 2023 If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga (186 pages)
April 3, 2023 We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land by Jimmy Carter (214 pages)
March
13, 2023
Beer in the Snooker Club by Waguih Ghali (224 pages)
Plot summary from Celeste: http://sackett.net/BeerInTheSnookerClubNotes.pdf.
(Note: This is the second Monday in March)
February
6, 2023
The Sacred Night by Tahar Ben Jelloun (192 pages)
(Note: No meeting in January)
2022
November
7, 2022
The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War by Delphine Minoui (194 pages)
October 3, 2022 The Sand Child by Tahar Ben Jelloun (176 pages)
August 1, 2022 Men in the Sun & Other Palestinian Stories by Ghassan Kanafani (117 pages)
July
11, 2022
Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa, Palestine (381 pages)
(Note: This is the second Monday in July)
June
6, 2022
Selection from The Qur’an. Surahs 97,
1,
4,
18,
25,
34 and
24:35.
Reference: Holy Qur’an - Episode 31 of Sacred Texts of the World
(https://boulderlibrary.kanopy.com/video/holy-quran).
May
2, 2022
Palestine is Our Home by Nahida Halaby Gordon (editor), Palestine (186 pages)
Reference: Resource links for the discussion from Randi -
http://www.sackett.net/ALDG-May2022.pdf.
(Note: Nahida Halaby Gordon will be joining our Jitsi meeting.)
April
4, 2022
The Other Son. https://tubitv.com/movies/602261/the-other-son?start=true.
Two families -- one Israeli, one Palestinian -- learn, 18 years later, that their sons were accidentally switched at birth. (1 hour 45 minutes)
(We watched and discussed this movie at an in-person meeting.)
March
7, 2022
The Mauritanian by Mohamedou Ould Slahi (410 pages)
A diary of the author's 14-year imprisonment (without any charges being filed against him) at Guantánamo Bay.
February
7, 2022
Lift Like a Girl. A documentary about the female weightlifting community training in the streets of Alexandria (90 minutes)
We will watch and discuss this at an in-person meeting.
Read The Mauritanian for our March 7 discussion. There are copies in Prospector which is once again
available for Front Range libriaries (YEAH!).
2021
December 6, 2021
The Homeland by Hamida Na’na (160 pages)
November 1, 2021 The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution by Peter Hessler (Part Three, 195 pages)
October 2021
(Note: No meeting in October)
September
13, 2021
The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution by Peter Hessler (Parts One and Two, 233 pages)
(Note: This is the second Monday in September)
August
9, 2021
A Bottle in the Gaza Sea a film about Arab Israeli coexistence (100 minutes)
We will watch and discuss this at an in-person meeting.
(Note: This is the second Monday in August)
July
12, 2021
A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum, Palestine (337 pages)
(Note: This is the second Monday in July)
June
7, 2021
Aisha Helps Shape Islam Episode 16 in The Great Courses series “Warriors, Queens, and Intellectuals” and
Conflict within Islam Episode 8 in The Great Courses series “The History of Spain”
Watch online ahead of time at https://boulderlibrary.kanopy.com/video/aisha-helps-shape-islam
and https://boulderlibrary.kanopy.com/video/conflict-within-islam
and we will discuss them at the meeting. These 30 minute lectures do not count against your monthly Kanopy quota so
feel free to explore other episodes and share highlights at the meeting.
May
3, 2021
The Battle of Algiers a film by Gillo Pontecorvo
Watch online ahead of time at https://boulderlibrary.kanopy.com/video/battle-algiers-0
and we will discuss it at the meeting.
April
5, 2021
The Book of Khalid by Ameen Rihani, Lebanon (349 pages) Continued!
Online at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29257/29257-h/29257-h.htm
March
1, 2021
The Book of Khalid by Ameen Rihani, Lebanon (349 pages)
Online at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29257/29257-h/29257-h.htm
February 1, 2021 The Parisian by Isabella Hammad, Palestine (part 2 chapter 9 to the end (293 pages))
January 4, 2021 The Parisian by Isabella Hammad (start through part 2 chapter 8 (274 pages))
2020
December 7, 2020
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer, Mali (288 pages)
November 2, 2020 Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami, Morocco (195 pages)
October 5, 2020 The Dove's Necklace by Raja Alem, Saudi Arabia (2nd half of 480 pages)
September 14, 2020 The Dove's Necklace by Raja Alem, Saudi Arabia (1st half of 480 pages)
August
3, 2020
Poetry Selection from Nizar Qabbani, Syria (76 pages)
Pick your favorites to discusss from these, 48 poems
July
6, 2020
Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (256 pages)
Reader's Guide here, author's website http://jokha.com/
June
1, 2020
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran (107 pages)
Online at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58585
May 4, 2020 Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea (368 pages)
April
6, 2020
The Arabs: A History by Eugene Rogan (Introduction and Chapter 15 (58 pages))
Ch15: Arabs in the 21st Century (http://sackett.net/RoganHistoryCh15.pdf)
March 2, 2020 The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz (217 pages)
February
3, 2020
A Pure Heart by Rajia Hassib (2nd half of 305 pages)
(Note: No meeting in January)
2019
December 2, 2019
A Pure Heart by Rajia Hassib (1st half of 305 pages)
November 4, 2019 Akhenaten, Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz (168 pages)
October 7, 2019 Daring to Drive by Manal al-Sharif (320 pages)
September
9, 2019
Anatomy of Terror: From the Death of bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State by Ali Soufan (384 pages)
(Note: This is the second Monday in September)
August 5, 2019 In the Presence of Absence by Mahmoud Darwish (171 pages)
July 1, 2019 The Yacoubian Building by Alaa al-Aswany (255 pages)
June 3, 2019 Who's Afraid of Meryl Streep? by Rashid al-Daif (130 pages)
May 6, 2019 The Last Refuge: Yemen, al-Qaeda, and America's War in Arabia by Gregory Johnsen (352 pages)
April 1, 2019 The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State by Nadia Murad (306 pages)
March
4, 2019
Selection from They Die Strangers by Mohammad Abdul-Wali, Yemen (Introduction, and 8 stories (pp 69-112))
http://sackett.net/Abdul-WaliStrangers.pdf
February
4, 2019 Four stories from An Arabian Mosaic: Short Stories by Arab Women Writers
collected and translated by Dalya Cohen-Mor:
The Persian Rug by Hanan al-Shaykh, Lebanon http://sackett.net/al-ShaykhPersianRug.pdf
A Mistake in the Knitting by Ihsan Kamal, Egypt http://sackett.net/KamalKnitting.pdf
Half a Woman by Sufi Abdallah, Egypt http://sackett.net/AbdallahWoman.pdf
Pharoah is Drowning Again by Sakina Fuad, Egypt http://sackett.net/FuadPharoah+Bios.pdf
(short biographies of the authors in An Arabian Mosaic are included with this story)
2018
December 3, 2018 The Open Door by Latifa al-Zayyat
November 5, 2018 I Sweep the Sun Off Rooftops by Hanan al-Shaykh
October 1, 2018 No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria by Rania Abouzeid
September 10, 2018 An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
August 6, 2018 The Girl Who Fell to Earth: A Memoir by Sophia al-Maria
July 2, 2018 Ali and His Russian Mother by Alexandra Chreiteh, Lebanon
June 4, 2018 Watch and then discuss the film “Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt”
May 7, 2018 In the Shadow of the Prophet: The Struggle for the Soul of Islam by Milton Viorst, Chapters 6 through 10
April 2, 2018 In the Shadow of the Prophet: The Struggle for the Soul of Islam by Milton Viorst, Chapters 1 through 5
March 5, 2018 Mirrors by Naghib Mahfouz (illustrated by Seif Wanli), Egypt
February 5, 2018 Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring by Bassem Youssef, Egypt
January 8, 2018 The Return by Hisham Matar, Libya
2017
December 4, 2017 Salt Houses by Hala Alyan, Palestinian
November
6, 2017
Sitt Marie Rose
by Etel Adnan, Lebanon
^Note: At the beginning of the meeting we'll finish discussing
The Dove's Necklace.
October 2, 2017 The Dove's Necklace by Raja Alem, Saudi Arabia
September 11, 2017 Poems of al-Mutanabbi selection translated by A.J. Arberry (Note: This is the second Monday in September)
August 7, 2017 Gate of the Sun (second half) by Elias Khoury, Lebanon
July 10, 2017 Gate of the Sun (first half) by Elias Khoury, Lebanon
June 5, 2017 Prairies of Fever by Ibrahim Nasrallah, Palestinian
May 1, 2017 Zayni Barakat by Gamal al-Ghitani, Egypt
April 3, 2017 A Life in Pencil: Poems by Ghada Kanafani, Palestinian
March 6, 2017 The Crane by Halim Barakat, Syro-Lebanese
February 6, 2017 Year of the Elephant: A Moroccan Woman's Journey Toward Independence by Leila Abouzeid, Morocco
January 9, 2017 Chronicle of a Last Summer by Yasmine El Rashidi, Egypt
2016
November 7, 2016 Nasser: My Husband by Tahia Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt
October 3, 2016 The Corpse Exhibition and Other Stories of Iraq by Hassan Blasim, Iraq
September 12, 2016 Fragments of Memory: A Story of a Syrian Family by Hanna Mina, Syria
August 1, 2016 I'jaam: An Iraqi Rhapsody by Sinan Antoon, Iraq
July 11, 2016 Reading Darwin in Arabic, 1860-1950 by Dr. Marwa Elshakry, Columbia University Department of History
June
6, 2016
“Zaha”, an article in Saudi Aramco World about Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, by Louis Werner
http://archive.aramcoworld.com/pdf/2000/200206.pdf
May 2, 2016 Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih, Sudanese
April 11, 2016 The Journey of Ibn Fattouma by Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian (Note: This is the second Monday in April)
March 7, 2016 Abu Jmeel's daughter and Other Stories: Arab Folk Tales from Palestine and Lebanon by Jamal Sleem Nuweihed, Lebanese
February 1, 2016 The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud, Algerian
January 5, 2016 The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami, Morocco
2015
November 2, 2015 The Bedouins and the Desert: Aspects of Nomadic Life in the Arab East by Jibrail S. Jabbur
October 5, 2015 Desert Voices: Bedouin Women's Poetry in Saudi Arabia by Moneera Al-Ghadeer
September 14, 2015 “Rooms of Their Own” An article about women writers in Arabic literature in Aramco World Magazine (http://archive.aramcoworld.com/pdf/1990/199603.pdf) by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea
August 3, 2015 Late for Tea at the Deer Palace: The Lost Dreams of My Iraqi Family by Tamara Chalabi
July 6, 2015 Walking through Fire by Nawal El Saadawi
June 1, 2015 The Days: His Autobiography in Three Parts by Taha Hussein
May 4, 2015 The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon
April 6, 2015 Mahmoud Darwish: the Poet's Art and his Nation by Khaled Mattawa
March 2, 2015 Saladin by A.R. Azzam
February 2, 2015 The Seven Veils of Seth: A Modern Arabic Novel from Libya by Ibrahim al-Koni
January 5, 2015 The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey by Laila el-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt
2014
November 3, 2014 “#techboom #arabnets” an article about technology in the Arab world from Saudi Aramco World May/June 2014 magazine by Habib Battah
October 6, 2014 “Hayy Was Here” a Robinson Crusoe article from Saudi Aramco World May/June 2014 magazine by Tom Verde
September 8, 2014 T.E. Lawrence: An Arab View by Suleiman Mousa
August 11, 2014 Looking for Palestine by Najla Said (Note: This is the second Monday in August)
July 7, 2014 Contemporary Iraqi Fiction: an Anthology by Shakir Mustafa
June 2, 2014 Poor: A Nubian Novel by Idris Ali
May 5, 2014 Arabic Food Preparation.
April 7, 2014 Libyan film, Lion of the Desert: Omar al Mukhtar
March 3, 2014 Arabic Music Discussion.
February 3, 2014 Palestine: A Personal History by Karl Sabbagh
January
6, 2014 Nizar Qabbani Poetry Selection
Bring your favorites of the 48 poems at http://www.poemhunter.com/nizar-qabbani/ to discuss (the poems are collected into one file at http://www.sackett.net/QabbaniPoetry.pdf).
2013
November 4, 2013 Grandfather's Tale by Ulfat Idilbi
October 7, 2013 Munira's Bottle by Yousef al-Mohaimeed
September 9, 2013 Azazeel by Youssef Ziedan
August 5, 2013 The Watchers by Tahar Djaout
July 8, 2013 Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar
June
3, 2013
Arabic Short Stories
translated by Denys Johnson-Davies with an introduction by Roger Allen
[Note: See http://www.sackett.net/arabic_lit_2013.htm for which stories to read.]
May 6, 2013 Married to Another Man: Israel's Dilemma in Palestine by Dr. Ghada Karmi
April 1, 2013 The Star of Algiers by Aziz Chouaki
March
4, 2013
The Anchor Book of Modern Arabic Fiction edited by Denys Johnson-Davies
[Note: See http://www.sackett.net/arabic_lit_2013.htm for which stories to read.]
February 4, 2013 Lebanese Blonde by Joseph Geha
January
7, 2013 Modern Syrian Short Stories
translated by Michel Azrak
Authors in this book we've discussed before in the group:
Ulfat al-Idlibi (aka Ulfat Idilbi), Walid Ikhlasi (aka Walid Ikhlassi), and Ghadah al-Saman (aka Ghada Samman).
2012
December 3, 2012 Whatever Happened to Antara by Walid Ikhlassi
November 5, 2012 The Last Summer of Reason by Tahar Djaout
October 1, 2012 Excerpts from Banipal, Magazine of Modern Arab Literature. From #24 (Autumn 2005): Short stories by Huzamah Habayeb, Haifa Bitar, and Jamila Omairah. Excerpts from novels by Mahdi Haydar, Venus Khoury-Ghata, and Hanan al-Shaykh. From #22 (Spring 2005): Excerpt from Najata Barakat's The Busload of Good People. From #20 (Summer 2004): Excerpt from Zainab Hifni's novel No More Tears. From #19 (Spring 2004): Lutfiyya al-Dulaimi, “What the Storytellers Did not Tell”, Latifa Baqa “Bad Soup”, Ghalia Kabbani “Dreams of a Well-Bred Girl”.
September 10, 2012 Rama and The Dragon by Edwar al-Kharrat
August 6, 2012 Katrina in Five Worlds by Kathy Saade Kenny
July 2, 2012 Granada by Radwa Ashour
June 4, 2012 Children Of The New World by Assia Djebar
May 7, 2012 Return to Dar al-Basha by Hassan Nasr
April 2, 2012 The Road From Damascus by Robin Yassin Kassab
March
5, 2012
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
There is a reading guide at http://www.sackett.net/AbulhawaJeninGuide.pdf.
February 6, 2012 The Long Way Back by Fuad al-Takarli
January 2, 2012 In the country of men by Hisham Matar
2011
December 5, 2011 A Dog With No Tail by Hamdi Abu Golayyel
November 7, 2011 A World I Loved: The Story of an Arab Woman by Wadad Makdisi Cortas
October 3, 2011 Zaat by Sonallah Ibrahim
September 12, 2011 Borrowed Time by Hassan Daoud
August 1, 2011 Arab American Authors, selections from Banipal 38 - Magazine of Modern Arab Literature
July 11, 2011 Woman at Point Zero by Nawal el-Saadawi
June 6, 2011 Voices of change : short stories by Saudi Arabian women writers edited and translated by Abubaker Bagader, Ava M. Heinrichsdorff, Deborah S. Akers
May 2, 2011 Food for Our Grandmothers: Writings by Arab-American and Arab-Canadian Feminists edited by Joanna Kadi
April 4, 2011 Feature Film: Nasser 56
March 7, 2011 Mahmoud Darwish, Exile's Poet: Critical Essays edited by Hala Khamis Nassar and Najat Rhaman
February 7, 2011 Love Letters: The Love Letters of Kahlil Gibran to May Ziadah translated and edited by Salma Haffar al-Kuzbari and Suheir Bushrui
January 3, 2011 The Qadi and the Fortune Teller by Nabil Saleh
2010
December 6, 2010 Documentary: Mahmoud Darwish: As The Land Is The Language, by director Simone Bitton
November 1, 2010 The Arabs: A History by Eugene Rogan, Chapters 12, 13, 14, and Epilogue
October 4, 2010 My Days in Mecca by Ahmad Suba'i
September 13, 2010 The Arabs: A History by Eugene Rogan, Chapters 2, 5, 9, 10, and 11
August 2, 2010 A Balcony over the Fakihani by Liyana Badr
July 12, 2010 Memory for Forgetfulness by Mahmoud Darwish
June 7, 2010 Cities of Salt by Abd al-Rahaman Munif
May 3, 2010 Story of Zahra by Hanan al-Shaykh
April 5, 2010 Wolves of the Crescent Moon by Yousef al-Mohaimeed
March 1, 2010 Zubaida’s Window: A Novel of Iraqi Exile by Iqbal al-Qazwini
February 1, 2010 Lebanon, Lebanon edited by Anna Wilson
January 4, 2010 Desiring Arabs by Joseph Massad
2009
December 7, 2009 Wedding Night by Yusuf Abu Rayya
November 2, 2009 Voices Revealed: Arab women novelists, 1898-2000 by Bouthaina Shaaban
October 5, 2009 The Repudiation by Rachid Boudjedra
September 14, 2009 The Image, the Icon, and the Covenant by Sahar Khalifeh
August 3, 2009 The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf by Mohja Kahf
July 13, 2009 Leaves of Narcissus by Somaya Ramadan
June 1, 2009 Poems from Guantánamo: The Detainees Speak edited by Marc Falkoff
May 4, 2009 The Wedding of Zein and other Stories by Tayeb Saleh
April 6, 2009 Muhammad: A Novel by Driss Chraibi
March 2, 2009 Palestinian Walks by Raja Shehadeh
February 2, 2009 A Last Glass of Tea and Other Stories by Mohammed el Bisatie
January 5, 2009 The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine
2008
December 1, 2008 Let It Be Morning by Sayed Kashua
November 3, 2008 Absent by Betool Khedairi
October 6, 2008 My Grandmother’s Cactus: Stories by Egyptian Women. Edited by Marilyn Booth
September 8, 2008 Dinarzad’s Children: An Anthology of Contemporary Arab American Fiction. Edited by Pauline Kaldas & Khaled Mattawa
August 4, 2008 The Tongue’s Blood Does Not Run Dry by Assia Djebar
July 7, 2008 Homes of the Heart: A Ramallah Chronicle by Farouq Wadi
June 2, 2008 Leaving Beirut by Mai Ghoussoub
May 5, 2008 In the House of Silence. Edited by Fadia Faqir
April 7, 2008 The Loved Ones by Alia Mamdouh
March 3, 2008 The Anchor Book of Modern Arabic Fiction edited by Denys Johnson-Davies
February 4, 2008 West of the Jordan by Laila Halaby
January 7, 2008 Oranges in the Sun: Short Stories from the Arabian Gulf, edited by Akers and Bagader
2007
November 5, 2007 The Yacoubian Building, by Alaa al-Aswany. Translated by Humphrey Davies
October 1, 2007 A Beggar at Damascus Gate, Yasmin Zahran. 157 pages.
September 10, 2007 Dancing Arabs, by Sayed Kashua (Qashu). Translated by Miriam Shlesinger
August 6, 2007 Arab History and Culture
July 2, 2007 Open House, by Nabil Saleh. 208 pages.
June 4, 2007 Beneath a Sky of Porphyry, by Aicha Lemsine. Translated by Dorothy S. Blair. 256 pages.
May 7, 2007 Teta, Mother and Me: Three Generations of Arab Women, by Jean Said Makdisi. 384 pages.
April 2, 2007 Two short stories by Ghida Sinno (author attendance at discussion)
March 5, 2007 Arab Women between Defiance and Restraint. Edited by Suha Sabbagh. 267 pages.
February 5, 2007 Chased by the Dogs (Film) (based on Mahfouz’s The Thief & the Dogs)
January 8, 2007 Echoes of an Autobiography, by Naguib Mahfouz. Translated by Denys Johnson-Davies
2006
November 6, 2006 Seen and Heard: A Century of Arab Women in Literature & Culture, by Mona Mikhail
October 2, 2006 The Gardens of Light, by Amin Maalouf
September 11, 2006 Sharon and My Mother-in-law, by Suad al-Amiry
August 7, 2006 The Bleeding of the Stone, by Ibrahim al-Koni
July 3, 2006 Nightingale's Prayer, film based on a novel by Taha Hussein
June 5, 2006 My Jerusalem: Essays, Reminiscences & Poems, edited by Salma Khadra Jayyusi
May 1, 2006 Fragments of Memory: A Story of a Syrian Family, by Syrian author Hanna Mina
April 3, 2006 Short Arabic Plays: An Anthology, edited by Salma Khadra Jayyusi
March 6, 2006 Naphtalene: A Novel of Baghdad, by Iraqi author Alia Mamdouh
February 6, 2006 A Distant View of a Minaret, by Egyptian author Alifa Rifaat
January 2, 2006 The life, essays, and poems by Saif al-Rahbi
2005
November 7, 2005 Alifa Rifaat Distant View of a Minaret
October 3, 2005 Hoda (Huda) Barakat The Tiller of Waters
September 12, 2005 Sahar Khalifeh Wild Thorns
August 1, 2005 Buthaina al-Nasiri Final Night
July 11, 2005 Naguib Mahfouz Palace of Desire
June 6, 2005 Leila Abouzeid The Last Chapter
May 2, 2005 Maram al-Massri A Red Cherry on a White-tiled Floor
April 4, 2005 Hanan al-Shaykh I Sweep the Sun Off Rooftops
March 7, 2005 Latifa al-Zayyat The Open Door
February 7, 2005 Nuha al-Radi Baghdad Diaries
January 3, 2005 Mourid Barghouthi I Saw Ramallah
2004
November 1, 2004 Hanan Ashrawi This Side of Peace: A Personal Account
October 4, 2004 Naguib Mahfouz Children of the Alley
September 13, 2004 Ahlam Mosteghanemi Memory in the Flesh (sequel is Chaos of the Senses)
July 5, 2004 Fathy Ghanem The Man Who Lost His Shadow
June 7, 2004 Diana Abu-Jaber Crescent
May 3, 2004 Mohammed Dib The Savage Night
April 5, 2004 Saadi Youssef Without an Alphabet, Without a Face: Selected Poems The first hour will be dedicated to the viewing of the video “Mahmoud Darwish” by Simone Bitton
March 1, 2004 Rashid al-Daif Dear Mr. Kawabata
February 2, 2004 Abdelkader Benali Wedding by the Sea
January 5, 2004 Anton Shammas Arabesques
2003
November 3, 2003 Tawfiq al-Hakim Return of the Spirit
October 6, 2003 Mourid Barghouti I Saw Ramallah
September 8, 2003 Anton Shammas Arabesques
August 4, 2003 Elmaz Abinader Children of the Roojme: A Family's Journey From Lebanon
July 7, 2003 Elias Khoury Gates of the City
June 2, 2003 Ahdhaf Soueif Map of Love
May 5, 2003 Leila Ahmed A Border Passage: From Cairo to America -- A Woman's Journey
April 7, 2003 Amin Maalouf The Crusades Through Arab Eyes
March 3, 2003 Kathryn Abdul-Baki Ghost Songs: A Palestinian Love Story
February 3, 2003 Fatima Mernissi Scheherazade Goes West
2002
November 4, 2002 Leila Aboulela The Translator
October 7, 2002 Mohammad Abdul-Wali, Abubaker Bagader and Deborah Akers They Die Strangers
September 9, 2002 Edward Said Reflections on Exile and other Essays
August 5, 2002 Taher Ben Jelloun Sacred Night
July 1, 2002 Leila Abouzeid, Elizabeth Fernea Return to Childhood: The Memoir of a Modern Moroccan Woman
June 3, 2002 Muhammad Shukri For Bread Alone
May 6, 2002 Abd al-Rahaman Munif Endings
April 1, 2002 Denys Johnson-Davies Under Naked Sky: Short Stories from the Arab World
March 4, 2002 Leila Sebbar Silence on the Shores
February 4, 2002 Rachid al-Daif, Nirvana Tanoukhi, Anton Shammas Passage to Dusk
2001
November 5, 2001 Mohamed Berrada The Game of Forgetting
October 1, 2001 Ramzi Salti Native Informant: Six Tales of Defiance from the Arab World
September 10, 2001 Mustapha Tlili Lion Mountain
June 4, 2001 Ghassan Kanafani Palestine's Children: Returning to Haifa and Other Stories
May 7, 2001 Ghassan Kanafani Palestine's Children: Returning to Haifa and Other Stories
April 2, 2001 Khalil Hawi Naked in Exile
March 5, 2001 Abdul Rahman Munif Story of a City
February 5, 2001 Samar Attar House on Arnus Square
January 8, 2001 Assia Djebar So Vast the Prison
2000
November 6, 2000 Jabra I. Jabra Hunters in a Narrow Street
October 2, 2000 Kathryn K. Abdul-Baki Tower of Dreams
September 11, 2000 Abd al-Rahman Munif Story of a City ‐ A Childhood in Amman
June 5, 2000 Salwa Bakr The Golden Chariot
May 1, 2000 Ibrahim Nasrallah Prairies of Fever
April 3, 2000 Hoda Barakat The Stone of Laughter
March 6, 2000 Zayd Mutee' Dammaj The Hostage
February 7, 2000 Yahya Yakhlif A Lake Beyond the Wind
January 10, 2000 Naguib Mahfouz Wedding Song
1999
November 1, 1999 Ghada Samman Beirut '75
October 4, 1999 Merzak Allouache Bab el-Oued
September 13, 1999 Kathryn Abdul-Baki Fields of Fig and Olive
July 12, 1999 Hanan al-Shaykh Story of Zahra
June 7, 1999 Tawfiq al-Hakim Return of the Spirit
May 3, 1999 Fadia Faqir Pillars of Salt
April 12, 1999 Ulfat Idilbi Sabriya: Damascus Bitter Sweet
March 1, 1999 Leila Abouzeid Year of the Elephant: A Moroccan Woman's Journey Toward Independence
February 1, 1999 Etel Adnan Sitt Marie Rose
1998
November 9, 1998 Naguib Mahfouz Palace Walk
November 2, 1998 Khaled Mattawa Ismailia Eclipse: Poems
October 5, 1998 Edward Said Culture and Imperialism
September 14, 1998 Mahmoud Darwish Memory for Forgetfulness
June 1, 1998 Driss Chraibi Mother Comes of Age
May 4, 1998 Yusuf Awwad Death in Beirut
April 13, 1998 Ava Heinrichsdorff (ed) Short Stories by Saudi Arabian Women Writers
March 2, 1998 Brick Oussaid Mountains Forgotten by God: the Story of a Moroccan Berber Family
February 2, 1998 Samar Attar Lina: Portrait of a Damascene Girl
January 5, 1998 Tayeb Salih Season of Migration to the North
1997
December 1, 1997 Jabra Ibrahim The Ship
November 3, 1997 Bahaa Taher Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery
October 6, 1997 Diana Abu-Jaber Arabian Jazz
September 8, 1997 Tayeb Salih Season of Migration to the North
August 4, 1997 Halim Barakat Six Days
July 9, 1997 Yusuf Idris The Sinners
June 11, 1997 Ghassan Kanafani Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories
May 5, 1997 Sahar Khalifeh Wild Thorns
April 7, 1997 Hanan al-Shaykh Beirut Blues
March 3, 1997 Abdelrahman Munif Cities of Salt
February 3, 1997 Fatima Mernissi Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood
January 6, 1997 Amin Maalouf Samarkand
1996
November 4, 1996 Naguib Mahfouz Adrift on the Nile
October 7, 1996 Hanan al-Shaykh The Persian Carpet (The group's first meeting)
To see Discussion Group Founder Ghada's favorites from this list (through November of 2009): http://www.sackett.net/FavoritesGhada.htm.
Here are some favorites from reading group member Celeste: http://www.sackett.net/FavoritesCeleste.htm.
Here are some favorites from reading group member Bill: http://www.sackett.net/FavoritesBillArab.htm.
For a current (hopefully) flyer for the group: http://www.sackett.net/ArabicLitFlyer.pdf.
For more info go to the ‘Book & Discussion Groups’ tab on: http://research.boulderlibrary.org/readingroom.
This is http://www.sackett.net/arabic_lit.htm, last updated March 4, 2024.