Podcast appearances and mentions of Ahdaf Soueif

To mark the re-publication of Edward Said's The Question of Palestine, this landmark event held at the Royal Festival Hall on 20 November gathers eight key authors to reflect on the enduring legacy of Said's work and its role in the ongoing Palestinian struggle for self-determination. Jehad Abusalim (via video), Tamim Barghouti, Budour Hassan, Saree Makdisi, Max Porter, Jacqueline Rose, Wadie Said, Avi Shlaim and Ahdaf Soueif, hosted by Aimee Shalan, consider what The Question of Palestine has become today, and the painful contradiction that Said himself would observe: that Palestinian gains in international moral and cultural standing since the book's publication have done nothing to prevent the continuous losses of land and life; and that the establishment of Palestinian histories and narratives in the broader public imagination has led not to equality, but to dehumanisation and death on a scale previously unimaginable. Presented in cooperation with the Palestine Festival of Literature and the Southbank Centre. Edited by Frankie Wells. Music composed by Kwes Darko.

In this episode, we talk through some literary news from Algeria and France, discuss two big translations out this fall from towering authors, as well as a new favorite by Maya Abu al-Hayyat. Then we turn to Read Palestine Week and the new collection focused on writers in Gaza, And Still We Write, before a discussion on refusing to work with Israeli publishers that are complicit in the violence against Palestinians. Show notes:Author Kamel Daoud sued over claim he used life of wife's patient in novel (The Guardian)An excerpt from Aziz Binebine's own account of Tazmamart, translated by Lulu Norman (WWB). Binebine's story was the basis for Tahar Ben Jelloun's This Blinding Absence of Light.Radwa Ashour's classic Granada Trilogy is finally out in its complete form, in Kay Heikkenen's translation. You can find the launch discussion at the AUC Press YouTube.The late Elias Khoury's Children of the Ghetto: Star of the Sea, translated by the late Humphrey Davies, was published in November by Archipelago Books.Maya Abu al-Hayyat's soon-to-be-classic No One Knows Their Blood Type is out in Hazem Jamjoum's vibrant translation this fall, from Ohio State University PressYou can get a free digital copy of And Still We Write from the ArabLit storefront, https://arablit.gumroad.com/ Those who want a print copy can get one through Mixam.The letter on refusing to work with Israeli publishers complicit in violence against Palestinians is on the PalFest website.Ahdaf Soueif responds to some criticism of the letter in the London Review of Books. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leila Aboulela er en sudansk forfatter som bor i Skottland. Hun er forfatter av seks kritikerroste og prisvinnende romaner, blant annet The Translator (1999), Bird Summons (2019) og River Spirit (2023), samt en rekke skuespill og flere novellesamlinger. Abouela var den aller første vinneren av Caine Prize for Fiction, og hun er valgt inn i The Royal Society of Literature.Dette er Leila Aboulelas leseliste:Maaza Mengiste, The Shadow King (Skyggekongen)Tayeb Salih, Season of Migration to the North (Trekket mot nord) The Wedding of ZeinNaguib Mahfouz, The Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street) - Kairo-trilogien (Mellom to slott, Begjærets palass, Sukkerhuset) The Thief and the dogs Ahdaf Soueif, In the Eye of the SunFatin Abbas, Ghost Season Isabella Hammad, The Parisian (Pariseren) Enter Ghost (Gjenferdet inn) I denne podkastserien inviterer Stiftelsen Litteraturhuset forfattere og tenker til å snakke om sine forfatterskap, lesepraksis og sin leseliste fra det afrikanske kontinentet og diaspora. Intervjuer i denne episoden er Åshild Lappegård LahnRedigering og produksjon ved Stiftelsen Litteraturhuset. Musikk av Ibou Cissokho Litteraturhusets satsning på afrikansk litteratur er støttet av NORAD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leila Aboulela is a Sudanese writer, currently living in Scotland. She is the author of six award winning novels, including The Translator (1999), Bird Summons (2019) and River Spirit (2023), as well as a number of plays and short story collections. Aboulela was the first ever winner of the Caine Prize for Fiction, and an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.This is Leila Aboulela's reading list:Maaza Mengiste, The Shadow KingTayeb Salih, Season of Migration to the North The Wedding of ZeinNaguib Mahfouz, The Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street) The Thief and the dogs Ahdaf Soueif, In the Eye of the SunFatin Abbas, Ghost Season Isabella Hammad, The Parisian Enter Ghost In this podcast series the House of Literature in Oslo, Norway invites writers and thinkers to talk about their work, what they read and present their reading list from the African continent and diaspora. Host in this episode Åshild Lappegård LahnEditing and production by the House of LiteratureMusic by Ibou CissokhoThe House of Literature's project to promote African literature is supported by NORAD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PEN International, a worldwide association of writers, presented its 2022 CASE LIST, which documents 115 cases of writers facing harassment, arrest, violence and even death. This episode is a recording of an online panel of writers and activists discussing the situation surrounding freedom of expression globally, on the occasion of the publication of the 2022 Case list. The discussion focuses on cases in Ukraine under Russian attack, Egypt, Myanmar, and Nicaragua. Participants include Ma Thida (writer, activist from Myanmar, and Chair of PEN International's Writers in Prison Committee), Ahdaf Soueif (writer and activist from Egypt), Volodymyr Yermolenko (philosopher, essayist, editor in chief of UkraineWorld, and President of PEN Ukraine), and Gioconda Belli (Nicaraguan poet and activist). The event was moderated by Tanja Tuma, PEN International Board Member and President of PEN Slovenia. It was held on March 21st. 2022 Case list: https://www.pen-international.org/news/impunity-reigns-writers-resist-pen-international-case-list-2022

Writer, political activist and cultural commentator Ahdaf Soueif is the Eminence Grise of the Arab literary world. Over a 40-year career, she has published short stories, essays and a novel, The Map of Love, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In 2007, Soueif founded the Palestine Festival of Literature. Samah Sabawi, a Palestinian playwright and poet, joins Soueif to discuss her oeuvre and the context of her writing. Event details: Thu 09 Mar, 9:30am on the North Stage

With Samira Ahmed. To mark the centenary of the first BBC radio broadcast, Samira Ahmed discusses the art of radio and radio's influence on art with the novelist and radio enthusiast Tom McCarthy and with Benbrick, sound designer and co-producer of the Peabody award-winning Have You Heard George's Podcast? From early on the BBC made programmes especially for children. Samira Ahmed speaks to Joy Whitby, a pioneer of children's programmes – she started Play School and Jackanory – and hears how her approach to these owed much to her early days creating sound effects as a radio studio manager. How should writers respond to the climate crisis? As the COP 27 climate conference continues in Egypt, Samira is joined live from Cairo by the novelist Ahdaf Soueif and in the studio by the playwright Greg Mosse, whose debut novel The Coming Darkness has been described as climate fiction. Producer: Ian Youngs

Jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has stopped drinking water as he steps up his hunger strike to coincide with the start of the COP27 summit. Members of his family have warned that the hunger and water strike may mean he could die before the end of the summit. Abdel Fattah is currently serving a five-year sentence for spreading false news. Today's Martha Kearney speaks to Alaa Abdel Fattah's aunt, Ahdaf Soueif, who is an Egyptian novelist and political commentator. (Image credit: AFP)

The Book of Ramallah collects stories set in and around Palestine's administrative capital, which, Maya Abu Al-Hayat writes in her introduction, “represents this mirage, this glimmer of hope that isn't real, to many writers.” Show Notes:  Book of Ramallah, edited by Maya Abu Al-Hayat, is available from Comma Press. You can read “Love in Ramallah” by Ibrahim Nasrallah, translated by Mohammed Ghalaieny, at Bookanista. An excerpt from the introduction is available at The Irish Times. An excerpt of Mourid Barghouti's I Saw Ramallah, in Ahdaf Soueif's translation, is available at Penguin Random. An except of Raja Shehaheh's Palestinian Walksis available through PBS. “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama,” by Nathan Thrall, is at the New York Review. The Present, directed by Farah Nabulsi and co-written by Nabulsi and Hind Shoufani, is streaming on Netflix.

12 janvier 2022 - Rencontre avec Lina Attalah, cofondatrice du média indépendant en ligne Mada Masr, Ahdaf Soueif, romancière et journaliste anglo-égyptienne, Modération : Alain Gresh, journaliste, directeur du journal en ligne Orient XXI. Retrouvez la vidéo : https://youtu.be/QgF8l_7G5QM Suivez nos évènements sur les réseaux sociaux YouTube : @upiremmo Facebook : @institutiremmo Twitter : @IiReMMO Instagram : @institutiremmo LinkedIn : @Institut iReMMO Soutenez notre chaîne Tipeee : @iremmo Lilo : @iremmo HelloAsso : @iremmo

The Book of Ramallah collects stories set in and around Palestine's administrative capital, which, Maya Abu Al-Hayat writes in her introduction, “represents this mirage, this glimmer of hope that isn't real, to many writers.” Show Notes:  Book of Ramallah, edited by Maya Abu Al-Hayat, is available from Comma Press. You can read “Love in Ramallah” by Ibrahim Nasrallah, translated by Mohammed Ghalaieny, at Bookanista. An excerpt from the introduction is available at The Irish Times. An excerpt of Mourid Barghouti's I Saw Ramallah, in Ahdaf Soueif's translation, is available at Penguin Random. An except of Raja Shehaheh's Palestinian Walks is available through PBS. “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama,” by Nathan Thrall, is at the New York Review. The Present, directed by Farah Nabulsi and co-written by Nabulsi and Hind Shoufani, is streaming on Netflix.

Orientalism was his book, published in 1978, which outlined Said's view that imperialism and a romanticised version of Arab Culture clouded the way the East was depicted by Western scholars. In 1981 he published Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World (revised in 1997). Timothy Brennan puts these books and other initiatives, such as the founding of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim; and his advocacy for the establishment of a Palestinian state, into context in the first biography since Said's death from leukemia in 2003. Rana Mitter talks to Timothy Brennan and the writers Ahdaf Soueif, Pankaj Mishra and Marina Warner about Said's life and legacy. Places of Mind: A Life of Edward Said by Timothy Brennan is out now. Dame Marina Warner - author of many books about figures including Joan of Arc, the Virgin Mary and fairy tales including the Arabian Nights. She has just published Inventory of a Life Mislaid: An Unreliable Memoir which pieces together of her parents' lives from journals, photos and mementoes and looks at her own childhood in 1950s Cairo. Ahdaf Soueif is an Egyptian novelist and author of books including In the Eye of the Sun, The Map of Love, Cairo: My City our Revolution; and she founded the Palestine Festival of Literature. Pankaj Mishra is the author of books including Temptations of the West: How to Be Modern in India, Pakistan and Beyond; A History of Indian Literature in English; Age of Anger: A History of the Present and Bland Fanatics: Liberals, Race, and Empire. You can find him discussing Global Anger with Elif Shafak in the Free Thinking archives https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08c32c3 You can find other programmes exploring key books and ideas in a playlist called Landmarks of Culture on the Free Thinking website. Recent episodes include Foucault, John Rawls and Hegel https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01jwn44 They are all available to download as Arts&Ideas podcasts. Producer: Eliane Glaser

Join Hamid Dabashi and Ahdaf Soueif as they discuss Dabashi's new book, On Edward Said: Remembrance of Things Past. ---------------------------------------------------- On Edward Said: Remembrance of Things Past is an intimate intellectual, political and personal portrait of Edward Said, one of the 20th centuries' leading public intellectuals. Edward Said (1935-2003) was a towering figure in post-colonial studies and the struggle for justice in his native Palestine, best known for his critique of orientalism in western portrayals of the Middle East. As a public intellectual, activist, and scholar, Said forever changed how we read the world around us and left an indelible mark on subsequent generations. Hamid Dabashi, himself a leading thinker and critical public voice, offers a unique collection of reminiscences, travelogues and essays that document his own close and long-standing scholarly, personal and political relationship with Said. In the process, they place the enduring significance of Edward Said's legacy in an unfolding context and locate his work within the moral imagination and environment of the time. Order a copy of On Edward Said: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1556-on-edward-said ---------------------------------------------------- Speakers: Hamid Dabashi is the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. He received a dual Ph.D. in Sociology of Culture and Islamic Studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 1984, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on Max Weber's theory of charismatic authority with Philip Rieff (1922-2006), the most distinguished Freudian cultural critic of his time. Professor Dabashi has taught and delivered lectures in many North American, European, Arab, and Iranian universities. Professor Dabashi has written 22 books, edited four, and contributed chapters to many more. He is also the author of over 100 essays, articles and book reviews on subjects ranging from Iranian Studies, medieval and modern Islam, and comparative literature to world cinema and the philosophy of art (trans-aesthetics). His books and articles have been translated into numerous languages, including Japanese, German, French, Spanish, Danish, Russian, Hebrew, Italian, Arabic, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Polish, Turkish, Urdu and Catalan. Novelist Ahdaf Soueif was born in Cairo and educated in Egypt and England, where she studied for a Ph.D. at the University of Lancaster. She is the author of two collections of short stories, Aisha (1983) and Sandpiper (1996), and two novels. In the Eye of the Sun, about a young Egyptian woman's life in Egypt and England, where she goes to study as a postgraduate, set against key events in the history of modern Egypt, was published in 1992. The Map of Love (1999), is the story of a love affair between an Englishwoman and an Egyptian nationalist set in Cairo in 1900, as secrets are uncovered by the woman's great-granddaughter, herself in love with an Egyptian musician living in New York. The Map of Love was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction. In 2004, her book of essays, Mezzaterra, was published. Her most recent work is Cairo: My City, Our Revolution (2012), a personal account of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. Ahdaf Soueif lives in London and Cairo. She writes regularly for The Guardian and is a key political commentator on Egypt and Palestine. She is the founder of the Palestine Festival of Literature, Pal Fest. Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/a40GsNbMguM Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron is retiring after a legendary career in journalism. He joins Christiane Amanpour to discuss his life and legacy and how he credits his 'strong sense of mission' for his success. Then looking back at the Arab Spring ten years on; Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Souief and Amnesty International's Amna Guellali discuss how the region has changed since the revolutions one decade ago. Chris Young was sentenced to life in prison at the age of 22 due to mandatory minimum laws, after a third nonviolent drug-related conviction in 2010. Kevin Sharp was the federal judge who handed down that sentence and who later resigned from his lifelong judicial appointment and then worked with Young’s legal team to overturn the sentence. Sharp and Young join our Michel Martin to tell their story.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Det har gått tio år sedan den så kallade Arabiska våren drabbade Mellanöstern med protester, avsatta diktatorer, och demokratiförhoppningar. De flesta av de länder där euforiskt hopp spirade befinner sig idag i antingen inbördeskrig, förödelse, djup ekonomisk kris eller stark repression. As we approach the 10 year anniversary of the 25 jan revolution, many of the people who participated, are now in prison. These people have all shown they had nothing to do with the brotherhood, despite the fact that they keep being charged with belonging to a terrorist group, this is the standard charge at the state prosecution. Många av de som deltog i demokratiupproret för tio år sedan, den så kallade 25 januari revolutionen, sitter nu i fängelse. De flesta har visat att de inte har något med det muslimska brödraskapet att göra men de anklagas för medlemskap i en terrorgrupp, det är standardanklagelsen, säger Rajia Omran. Hon är människorättsadvokaten som outtröttligt besöker fängelser och domstolar för att försvara politiska fångar i Egypten. Hur många de är kan hon inte säga - ingen vet, utom inrikesministeriet, säger hon, men själv uppskattar hon mellan 25 000 och 30 000 politiska fångar, det vill säga betydligt lägre än den siffra på 60 000 som flera brittiska tidningar har använt. Nobody knows how many political prisoners in Egypt today, the only one who knows is the ministry of interior, my estimate would be somewhere around 25-3000. Många medlemmar av det muslimska brödraskapet greps i samband med att president Mursi störtades från makten, men sedan dess har även flera av de aktivister som var med och organiserade massdemonstrationerna mot Mursi gripits, journalisten Khaled Dawoud, den tidigare parlamentsledamoten Ziad el Eleimy, advokaten Mahienour el Masri, 6 Aprilrörelsens Israa Abdel Fattah och journalisten Solafa Magdi - för att nämna några och så den kanske mest kände av de politiska fångarna Alaa Abdel Fattah, dataingenjören och aktivisten som släpptes efter fem år i fängelse, bara för att ett halvår senare gripas igen. Nu har han suttit bakom galler i snart ett och halvt år utan rättegång. Han kommer från en aktivistfamilj och hans moster, den kända författaren Ahdaf Soueif, beskriver honom så här. Alaa has a very great mind, he is a soft ware engineer, and has a great following. Alaa är exakt en sådan person som den här typen av regim avskyr, någon som tänker själv, är karismatisk och har många följare, som inte går med på att behandlas som en inkallad. Ahdaf bekräftar att Alaa behandlas väl i fängelset, det var bara gripandet som var tufft, när han fick ögonbindel och tvingades kräla på marken i kalsongerna, men det förekommer ingen tortyr, det enda som är svårt är att han varken får böcker, tidningar eller radio. He is ok, my sister spoke to him but no magazine no radio. Människorättsadvokaten Ragia Omran bekräftar att villkoren skiljer sig från fängelse till fängelse. The conditions vary. Kvinnofängelset Anater är något bättre än många andra fängelser, kvinnliga fångar får i regel tillbringa minst en timme om dagen utomhus, till skillnad från många av männen. Och Ragia Omran kunde nyligen ta med sig böcker när hon besökte Israa Abdel Fattah, bloggaren som var med och bildade den så kallade 8-e april rörelsen som blev avgörande för revolten för 10 år sedan. I have been visiting prisons for 15 years, I know hundreds of people in prison. Pandemin satte stopp för alla besök i fängelser i våras. Det var då Ahdaf Soueifs syster, matematikprofessorn, krävde av fängelset att hon skulle få ett brev från sin son. Hon demonstrerade utanför fängelset, la sig där och sov. Senare protesterade både Ahdaf och systern mot covid-faran i egyptiska fängelser, då greps de båda två och fick tillbringa natten i en cell på en polisstation. We spent 36 hours in the cell, but they let us go so it was a tiny tiny experience really, but sitting there you have lots of thoughts. There are people outside who will not let go of me. Det var en obetydlig och mycket liten försmak av vad det innebär att sitta fängslad, säger Ahdaf. Men det lärde mig hur oerhört viktigt det är att känna att det finns folk där utanför som bryr sig, säger hon. Jag har själv alltid varit på andra sidan och bedrivit kampanjer för fångar utan att riktigt veta om det alls hjälper. Men nu när jag var på insidan förstod jag att det är just den vetskapen - om att någon bryr sig som gör att man står ut. And it taught me how important solidarity is, because I have alsways been on the other side - not know how good it is. I know that the thought that there are other people out there holding you in their head is the only thing that keeps you going. So I am grateful to the authorities for making me understand. Cecilia Uddén cecilia.udden@sverigesradio.se

Om massprotesterna i arabvärlden, och om de tio år som gått. Våra korrespondenter Cecilia Uddén och Johan Mathias Sommarström återvänder till personer de följt genom en förlorad arabisk vår. Medverkande: Zeinab i Tunisien, Lina Wardani, journalist Egypten, Ahdaf Soueif brittisk-egyptisk författare, Hossam Bahgat, människorättsaktivist, Zaki Boutros, silversmed Kairo, Yassin al-Haj Saleh, dissident Syrien, Lara, aktivist i Syrien, Mahmoud Basha, syrisk aktivist och Carl Bildt, Sveriges tidigare utrikesminister. Programledare/producenter: Cecilia Uddén och Johan Mathias Sommarström Med hjälp av Katja Magnusson och Ivar Ekman. Tekniker: Johanna Carell, Lotta Linde-Rahr och Stina Fagerberg. Konflikt konflikt@sverigesradio.se

Amanda and Jenn discuss alternate history novels, more murder, culturally diverse romance, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked. This episode is sponsored by Novel Gazing, Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and Book Riot Insiders. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. FEEDBACK Sourdough by Robin Sloan (rec’d by Tara) A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (TW for child abuse and child sexual assault, domestic violence, self-harm, suicide, drug use) (rec’d by Kelsey) Melissa Brayden’s Soho Loft series and Seven Shores series, Ann McMan’s Jericho series, Lise Gold’s Compass series, and Harper Bliss’ Pink Bean (rec’d by Wynnde) The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, Free Food For Millionaires by Min Jin Lee, Cities of Salt by Abdul Rahman Munif, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, In the Eye of the Sun by Ahdaf Soueif (rec’d by Sibyl) QUESTIONS 1. Hello Get Booked ladies! I’m requesting for my mom, as her birthday is coming up in January. She is already burning through the books I curated for her for Christmas (The Silent Patient & The Turn of the Key). She loves mystery, crime, action, suspense books. She’d like books that are, “less psychological thriller-y, more murder-y”. I’ve been trying to find stand-alone books or the start of a series because she can never remember where she left off and too often says “I think I’ve read this one?”. Examples of what she likes: Prey books by John Sandford, Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich, authors Ruth Ware, Clive Cussler, James Patterson, Paula Hawkins, John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark, etc. – as seen on the Goodreads account I’ve created for her goodreads.com/wendykozimor. *No home invasions, no horror Please help me find more murder-y books for my Mom (lol). Thanks!

Ahdaf Soueif is a model of the politically engaged artist. She wrote the bestselling novel The Map of Love, she was a frequent commentator during the revolution in her native Egypt, and she is in the news again after resigning as a trustee of the British Museum over its reluctance to discuss issues like repatriation. Throughout her adult life, Soueif has moved between Britain and Egypt, and she grew up in a Cairo where Europeans and Arabs lived side-by-side. It’s a world she calls a Mezzaterra, a term she coined for a place where people drift peaceably between cultures. As Soueif’s Mezzaterra has crumbled, peoples on both sides of the Mediterranean have become culturally poorer and less secure. Soueif discussed the Mezzaterra with EU Scream after receiving the 2019 ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture in Amsterdam. She also talked about the persistence of racist thinking, EU-funded authoritarianism in Egypt, and the Cold War roots of terror. Visit our website for episode art and for more EU Scream. “Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125” by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. Support the show (https://euscream.com/donate/)

La storia e la poetica della scrittrice egiziana Ahdaf Soueif si intrecciano con la Storia nel controverso rapporto Postcoloniale con l’Occidente.

Neil MacGregor visits different countries to talk to leading political, business and cultural figures to find out how they, as individuals and as members of their broader communities, see Britain. In Egypt, Neil hears from political historian Said Sadek; magazine publisher and editor Yasmine Shihata; and writer and activist Ahdaf Soueif.

Álvaro Enrigue, Ahdaf Soueif, Colson Whitehead, Hari Kunzru and Yann Martel in conversation with Chandrahas Choudhury. Where does the novel come from? How do novelists come up with their words? What is the actual process of producing a great and memorable novel? Five novelists from around the world, from the Mexico to Egypt, talk about their search for inspiration with Chandrahas Choudhury. This episode is a live session from Day 3 of #ZEEJLF2019.

PalFest, The Palestinian Festival of Literature, which brings writers from around the world to Palestine to read to and meet their readers, celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. This Is Not a Border is an anthology of essays, poems and stories from some of those writers and artists as they respond to their experiences at this unique festival. Heartbreaking and hopeful, their gathered work is a testament to the power of literature to promote solidarity and courage in the most desperate of situations. To celebrate the launch of this remarkable anthology, we were joined for an evening of readings and discussion by its editor Ahdaf Soueif, contributors Jeremy Harding and Rachel Holmes, and Bashir Abu-Manneh, lecturer in postcolonial literature at the University of Kent. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(this article was originally posted on Alaska at Radio Popolare) (la scrittrice Ahdaf Soueif a Tahrir, fotografia di Hossam el Hamalawy) 1 Benvenuti alla penultima puntata di Alaska di questa stagione. Mentre vi parlo è in corso al Cairo la dodicesima udienza del processo ai giornalisti di Al Jazeera, mai scarcerati dal momento del loro... Continue reading →

Ahadf Soueif, Paul Smith and Robin Kelley discuss how the humanities can solve global challenges In this discussion, Ahdaf Soueif Paul Smith and Robin Kelley discuss the active role of the humanities in addressing contemporary crises, drawing from their own experiences before opening up the discussion and inviting audience questions. This was part of Activist Humanities in the World (www.torch.ox.ac.uk/activist-humanities), a conference partnered by SOAS, TORCH and UVA, and supported by the British Council, bringing together 30 leading scholars from every (peopled) continent to discuss the active role of the humanities in a comparative and connected global context. Ahdaf Soueif is the author of the bestselling The Map of Love (shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1999 and translated into more than 30 languages), as well as the well-loved In the Eye of the Sun and the collection of short stories, I Think of You. Ms Soueif is also a political and cultural commentator. A collection of her essays, Mezzaterra: Fragments from the Common Ground, was published in 2004. Her articles for the Guardian in the UK are also published in the European press, and she writes a weekly column (in Arabic) for the national daily, al-Shorouk, in Egypt. Robin Kelley is the Gary B. Nash Professor of American History at UCLA who has written extensively on social movements, the African diaspora and radical change. His books include the prize-winning, Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original (Free Press, 2009); Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times (Harvard University Press, 2012); Yo’ Mama’s DisFunktional!: Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America (Beacon Press, 1997), which was selected one of the top ten books of 1998 by the Village Voice; and Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination (Beacon Press, 2002). He also edited (with Earl Lewis), To Make Our World Anew: A History of African Americans (Oxford University Press, 2000), and is currently completing a general survey of African American history co-authored with Tera Hunter and Earl Lewis to be published by Norton. Paul Smith is Director of the British Council in the USA and Cultural Counsellor at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.. A 30-year veteran of the British Council, the UK's international cultural relations organization, his previous postings include Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, Burma, New Zealand and Chile. Most recently, he led the British Council's offices in Afghanistan and in Egypt. His interests include history, international cultural relations and all the arts, especially drama. He has directed plays, particularly Shakespeare, in various countries and has published numerous articles. He was awarded the OBE by the Queen in 1999.

Is it time to mourn the death of Egypt's revolutionary dream? Civilians lead the government but real power lies with the armed forces. Emergency law, military courts, the outlawing of the Muslim Brotherhood - the list of repressive measures invites comparison with the darkest days of the Mubarak era. Hardtalk speaks to Egyptian writer and political activist Ahdaf Soueif. She is part of a movement trying to re-open the road to revolution. But is it too late?

At this crucial moment in Egypt’s story, this month’s World Book Club talks to one of the country’s great writers, Ahdaf Soueif, about her internationally acclaimed novel The Map of Love. In her Booker-shortlisted bestseller Soueif weaves together two poignant stories separated by a century of Egyptian history: a love story between aristocratic English Anna Winterbourne and romantic firebrand Sharif al-Baroudi, is set amidst the brutality of British imperialism and the fierce political battles of the Egyptian Nationalists. This tale reaches across time to an account of their descendants negotiating passions and political unrest in late 20th Century Egypt. We hear how Soueif had originally set out to write a ‘tawdry romance’ but hadn’t managed to stop herself writing something much more meaningful and monumental! Listen to this great Egyptian voice clearly and compellingly explain exactly what has gone wrong in Egypt, in her eyes, over the last decade.

A fascinating conversation with novelist and journalist Ahdaf Soueif who witnessed first-hand the Egyptian Revolution of January 2011. As the events in Egypt unfolded, she reported for The Guardian newspaper and her access to insider information played a key role in outsider understanding of the Arab Spring. Her published account of her participation in the revolution ‘Cairo: My city, our revolution’. She talks frankly about her compatriots’ commitment to revolution, and the hopes and dreams for their country that remain two years later. For more info and speaker's biography see this page: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2013/ahdaf_soueif.shtml

Professor Yvonne Haddad reviews recent history of Muslims in US, and we speak with author Ahdaf Soueif

BBC correspondent Ed Stourton is joined by Ahdaf Soueif & Karl Sharro to explore the influence of the social and political uprisings of last year's 'Arab Spring' on contemporary Arabic literature.

Kirsty Young's castaway is the Egyptian writer and commentator Ahdaf Soueif.She was the first Muslim woman to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize and, from an early age, her life has been divided between Egypt and Britain. She was among the crowds in Tahrir Square last year, witnessing the uprising at first hand, and describing events for the world's media. She says: "Every once in a while there would be a surge of a few meters forward, as your friends, who were being killed at the front, gained you those three metres and your job, as the masses, was to move forward and hold the three metres." Producer: Leanne Buckle.

Kirsty Young's castaway is the Egyptian writer and commentator Ahdaf Soueif. She was the first Muslim woman to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize and, from an early age, her life has been divided between Egypt and Britain. She was among the crowds in Tahrir Square last year, witnessing the uprising at first hand, and describing events for the world's media. She says: "Every once in a while there would be a surge of a few meters forward, as your friends, who were being killed at the front, gained you those three metres and your job, as the masses, was to move forward and hold the three metres." Producer: Leanne Buckle.

In the 2012 Edward Said Lecture at the British Museum, Ahdaf Soueif explains ‘Mina’s Banner’ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kosmo har reportage från PALFEST. Sedan 2008 hålls varje år en litteraturfestival på Västbanken, med internationella författare som bjuds in för att hålla litterära workshops - men också för att själva få pröva på livet som palestinier, som också inkluderar förnedrande behandling i israeliska checkpoints. Kosmo har träffat den libyske författaren Hisham Matar i London. Matars far var en känd dissident som försvann spårlöst på 90-talet, vilket påverkat hans författarskap. Och så har vi pratat med den amerikanska serietecknaren Joe Sacco, Sverigeaktuell med seriealbumet Gaza - fotnoter till ett krig. Programledare Anneli Dufva. Kosmo har reportage från PALFEST. Sedan 2008 hålls varje år en litteraturfestival på Västbanken, med internationella författare som bjuds in för att hålla litterära workshops - men också för att själva få pröva på livet som palestinier, som också inkluderar förnedrande behandling i israeliska checkpoints. Mårten Arndtzén har varit där och mött bland andra initiativtagaren till festivalen, den egyptiska författaren Ahdaf Soueif och Suad Amiry, arkitekten och författaren till succéboken Sharon och min svärmor. Den libyske författaren Hisham Matar fick ett stort genomslag med debutromanen Ingen i världen. I den och även i den nya romanen Anatomy of a disappearance finns erfarenheten av att förlora en far närvarande. Hisham Matars egen far var en av de dissidenter som flydde Libyen och bosatte sig i Kairo för att bedriva opposition. Men 1990 blev fadern kidnappad av den libyska regimen och har sedan dess varit försvunnen, en upplevelse som har präglat Hisham Matars författarskap. Kosmos Hedvig Weibull reste till London och träffade Hisham Matar som berättar om hur han följer händelserna i Libyen nära, ständigt med fadern i tankarna. Och så har Viktor Hariz ringt upp den amerikanske serietecknaren Joe Sacco, Sverigeaktuell med seriealbumet Gaza - fotnoter till ett krig. Joe Sacco menar att serieteckningar är ett subversivt medium som kan smyga sig på en läsare på ett helt eget sätt - få dem att läsa om tunga historiska händelser som de kanske aldrig skulle ta till sig annars. Programledare: Anneli Dufva Producent: Marie Liljedahl Bonusmaterial från Palfest:

Egyptian author Ahdaf Soueif describes how the anti-Mubarak protests have allowed Egyptians to reconnect with thousands of years of history and regain their sense of self.She describes a civilised and sophisticated protest which has shown Egyptians that they can rise above the divisions ascribed to them over the past 30 years. And she says whatever the outcome of the current political instability, this cultural change is permanent.Producer: Giles Edwards.

Today's programme finds Neil MacGregor in the company of one of the best known inhabitants of the British Museum - the Rosetta Stone. Throughout this week he is exploring shifting empires and the rise of legendary rulers around the world over 2000 years ago and here he takes us to the Egypt of Ptolemy V. He tells the story of the Greek kings who ruled in Alexandria. He also explains the struggle between the British and the French over the Middle East and their squabble over the stone. And, of course, he describes the astonishing contest that led to the most famous decipherment in history - the cracking of the hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone. Historian Dorothy Thompson and the writer Ahdaf Soueif help untangle the tale. Producer: Anthony Denselow.

The Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, retells the history of human development from the first stone axe to the credit card using 100 selected objects from the Museum. His history will cover two million years and include items that were made in every part of the globe. But his journey begins when, at the age of eight, he visited the British Museum for the first time and came face-to-face with an object that fascinated and intrigued him ever since - an Egyptian mummy. Hornedjitef was a priest who died around 2250 years ago, and he designed a coffin that, he believed, would help him navigate his way to the afterlife. Little did he know that this afterlife would be as a museum exhibit in London. This ornate coffin holds secrets to the understanding of his religion, society and Egypt's connections to the rest of the world. Neil MacGregor tells the story of Hornedjitef's mummy case, with contributions from egyptologist John Taylor, Egyptian author Ahdaf Soueif and Indian economist and Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen

The Map of Love (Vintage) London-based author Ahdaf Soueif, praised as an "Egyptian George Eliot," describes the impact of middle-eastern and global history on her narratives....