Books
Balancing Books
Long considered the literary center of the Arab world, Egypt has witnessed the cost of book printing, distribution and publishing rise steadily since the onset of its currency crisis in 2022. Now, many of the institutions behind Egypt’s literary culture face an uncertain future.
A Novel Idea
Federal penitentiaries would not say how many books they hold, so a biographer of Malcolm X spent months assembling the count himself from handbooks, emails and a prison messaging service.
How Syria’s Revolution Was Misunderstood, by Its Rulers and the World
Syria’s revolution was first crushed, and then misread. Five recent books on the long uprising and its surprising aftermath show how elites, ideologues and foreign observers alike failed to see the people at its heart.
Inside Beirut’s Fight To Save Its Reading Culture
Lebanon’s bookshops once thrived as hubs of debate and dissent, but economic collapse, censorship and war have gutted Beirut’s literary scene. Still, readers, publishers and book cafes find inventive ways to resist and revive the culture of reading.
Who You’re Reading When You’re Reading Arab Women
Everything from our expectations and background, to social mediators like teachers, critics, and influencers, and even the book's cover design can subtly change how we read a book in translation.