Beirut39
Encyclopedia
Beirut39 is a collaborative project between the Hay Festival
, Beirut UNESCO's World Book Capital
2009 celebrations, Banipal
magazine and the British Council
among others in order to identify 39 of the most promising Arab writers under the age of 39. The project was carried out during 2009-10 and followed on the success of Bogota39
, an earlier contest held in 2007 to identify the most promising young Latin American writers.
The requirements for eligibity stipulated that the author be born in or after 1970, be of Arab heritage and have at least one publication. The judges for the contest included Egyptian literary critic Gaber Asfour
, Lebanese poet and journalist Abdo Wazen, Lebanese writer Alawiya Sobh
and Omani poet and journalist Saif Al Rahbi. The project resulted in a literary anthology called Beirut39: New Writing from the Arab World, edited by Samuel Shimon
of Banipal magazine and published by Bloomsbury
in 2010. The book was published in both English and Arabic.
(born 1975) - Abdellah Taïa
(born 1973) - Abderrahim Elkhassar (born 1975) - Abderrazak Boukebba (born 1977) - Abdullah Thabit (born 1973) - Adania Shibli (born 1974) - Ahmad Saadawi (born 1973) - Ahmad Yamani (born 1970) - Ala Hlehel (born 1974) - Bassim al Ansar (born 1970) - Dima Wannous
(born 1982) - Faïza Guène
(born 1985) - Hala Kawtharani (born 1977) - Hamdy el Gazzar (born 1970) - Hussein al Abri (born 1972) - Hussein Jelaad (born 1970) - Hyam Yared (born 1975) - Islam Samhan (born 1982) - Joumana Haddad
(born 1970) - Kamel Riahi
(born 1974) - Mansour El Souwaim
(born 1970) - Mansoura Ez Eldin (born 1976) - Mohammad Hassan Alwan (born 1979) - Mohammad Salah al Azab (born 1981) - Nagat Ali (born 1975) - Najwa Binshatwan (born 1970) - Najwan Darwish (born 1978) - Nazem El Sayed (born 1975) - Rabee Jaber
(born 1972) - Randa Jarrar
(born 1978) - Rosa Yassin Hassan (born 1974) - Samar Yezbek (born 1970) - Samer Abou Hawwash (born 1972) - Wajdi al Ahdal (born 1973) - Yahya Amqassim (born 1971) - Yassin Adnan (born 1970) - Youssef Rakha (born 1976) - Zaki Baydoun (born 1981)
Hay Festival
The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales for ten days from May to June. Devised by Norman and Peter Florence in 1988, the festival was described by Bill Clinton in 2001 as "The Woodstock of the mind"...
, Beirut UNESCO's World Book Capital
World Book Capital
World Book Capital is a title bestowed by UNESCO to a city in recognition of the quality of its programs to promote books and reading and the dedication of all players in the book industry....
2009 celebrations, Banipal
Banipal
Banipal is an independent literary magazine dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Arab literature through translations in English. It was founded in London in 1998 by Margaret Obank and Samuel Shimon. The magazine is published three times a year...
magazine and the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
among others in order to identify 39 of the most promising Arab writers under the age of 39. The project was carried out during 2009-10 and followed on the success of Bogota39
Bogotá39
Bogotá39 was a collaborative project between the Hay Festival and Bogotá: UNESCO World Book Capital City 2007 in order to identify 39 of the most promising Latin American writers under the age of 39. The judges for the contest were three Colombian writers: Piedad Bonnett, Héctor Abad Faciolince and...
, an earlier contest held in 2007 to identify the most promising young Latin American writers.
The requirements for eligibity stipulated that the author be born in or after 1970, be of Arab heritage and have at least one publication. The judges for the contest included Egyptian literary critic Gaber Asfour
Gaber Asfour
Gaber Ahmed Asfour is an Egyptian professor at Cairo University since 1966, who was appointed as the Minister of Culture on 1 February 2011 . He has published Countering Fanaticism, Times of the Novel and In Defense of the Enlightenment, among others ....
, Lebanese poet and journalist Abdo Wazen, Lebanese writer Alawiya Sobh
Alawiya Sobh
Alawiya Sobh is a Lebanese writer and novelist. She was born in Beirut and studied Arabic and English literature at the Lebanese University. Upon graduation in 1978, she pursued a career in teaching. She also started publishing articles and short stories, at first in An-Nida newspaper and then in...
and Omani poet and journalist Saif Al Rahbi. The project resulted in a literary anthology called Beirut39: New Writing from the Arab World, edited by Samuel Shimon
Samuel Shimon
Samuel Shimon is an Iraqi writer and journalist of Assyrian descent. He left Iraq in 1979 with dreams of becoming a director in Hollywood, and has since then lived in Damascus, Amman, Beirut, Nicosia, Aden, Cairo, Tunis and Paris, before finally settling in London...
of Banipal magazine and published by Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
in 2010. The book was published in both English and Arabic.
The list
- Abdelaziz Errachidi (born 1978) - Abdelkader BenaliAbdelkader Benali
Abdelkader Benali is a Moroccan-Dutch writer and journalist. He has been described as one of the Netherlands' leading writers....
(born 1975) - Abdellah Taïa
Abdellah Taïa
Abdellah Taïa is an openly gay Moroccan writer who has lived in self-imposed exile in Paris since 1998. Taïa writes in French and has had works translated into Basque, Dutch, English and Spanish....
(born 1973) - Abderrahim Elkhassar (born 1975) - Abderrazak Boukebba (born 1977) - Abdullah Thabit (born 1973) - Adania Shibli (born 1974) - Ahmad Saadawi (born 1973) - Ahmad Yamani (born 1970) - Ala Hlehel (born 1974) - Bassim al Ansar (born 1970) - Dima Wannous
Dima Wannous
Dima Wannous is a Syrian writer and translator. She was born in Damascus and studied French literature at Damascus University and the Sorbonne. She also studied translation in France. She has worked in both print and broadcast media ....
(born 1982) - Faïza Guène
Faïza Guène
Faïza Guène is a French writer and director. Born in Bobigny, France in 1985 to parents of Algerian origin she is best known for her two novels, Kiffe kiffe demain and Du rêve pour les oufs. She has also directed several short films, including Rien que des mots .Guène grew up in Pantin, in the...
(born 1985) - Hala Kawtharani (born 1977) - Hamdy el Gazzar (born 1970) - Hussein al Abri (born 1972) - Hussein Jelaad (born 1970) - Hyam Yared (born 1975) - Islam Samhan (born 1982) - Joumana Haddad
Joumana Haddad
Joumana Haddad is a renowned Lebanese poet, translator and journalist.-Career:She has already published several poetry collections, widely acclaimed by critics...
(born 1970) - Kamel Riahi
Kamel Riahi
Kamel Riahi , is a Tunisian writer. He teaches in Algeria. He has published novels, one of them titled The Gorilla. Riahi has been translated into English, French, Italian and Hebrew...
(born 1974) - Mansour El Souwaim
Mansour El Souwaim
Mansour Mohammad El Souwaim is a Sudanese writer. He was born in Nyala in southern Darfur. He lives and works in Khartoum....
(born 1970) - Mansoura Ez Eldin (born 1976) - Mohammad Hassan Alwan (born 1979) - Mohammad Salah al Azab (born 1981) - Nagat Ali (born 1975) - Najwa Binshatwan (born 1970) - Najwan Darwish (born 1978) - Nazem El Sayed (born 1975) - Rabee Jaber
Rabee Jaber
Rabee Jaber is a Lebanese author, novelist and journalist, born in 1972 in Beirut, Lebanon. He studied Physics at the American University of Beirut...
(born 1972) - Randa Jarrar
Randa Jarrar
Randa Jarrar is an American novelist, short story writer, and translator.-Life:She grew up in Kuwait and Egypt, and moved to New York at the age of 13. She attended Sarah Lawrence College, and studied creative writing, then went on to receive a MA in Middle Eastern Studies from UT Austin and a MFA...
(born 1978) - Rosa Yassin Hassan (born 1974) - Samar Yezbek (born 1970) - Samer Abou Hawwash (born 1972) - Wajdi al Ahdal (born 1973) - Yahya Amqassim (born 1971) - Yassin Adnan (born 1970) - Youssef Rakha (born 1976) - Zaki Baydoun (born 1981)
See also
- Bogotá39Bogotá39Bogotá39 was a collaborative project between the Hay Festival and Bogotá: UNESCO World Book Capital City 2007 in order to identify 39 of the most promising Latin American writers under the age of 39. The judges for the contest were three Colombian writers: Piedad Bonnett, Héctor Abad Faciolince and...
- Granta magazine's list Best of Young British Novelists
- New Yorker magazine's 20 under 40