Arabic Literature Discussion Group
The Arabic Literature Discussion Group meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of most months. Meetings are held at the Arapahoe Conference Room, 2nd floor of the Main Library, 11th & Arapahoe in downtown Boulder unless otherwise noted. For more information, please contact Kirsten Wood at Klwwoodklw@aol.com, or Ghada Kanafani Elturk, Outreach Librarian at 303-441-4941 or elturkg@boulder.lib.co.us.
2012 Schedule
December 3, 2012 Whatever Happened to Antara by Walid Ikhlassi
November 5, 2012 The Last Summer of Reason by Tahar Djaout
October 1, 2012 See coordinator for selections.
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 Children Of The New World by Assia Djebar
June 4, 2012 Granada by Radwa Ashour
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 Khalil 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 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 Yakhl 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 Seasons 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
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 short summaries of the books on the current schedule: http://www.sackett.net/arabic_lit_flyer.htm.
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 February 18, 2012.