This is Beirut - Literature

Boualem Sansal’s Speech for Freedom Published in Bookstores

This is Beirut, 04/04 17:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Literature Edition Freedom Algeria France Boualem Sansal culture

This speech, given for “the German Publishers and Booksellers Peace Prize” and published in Gallimard’s Tracts collection, was originally delivered in Frankfurt, Germany, in October 2011. "The absence of freedom is a pain that drives one mad over time. It reduces a man to his shadow and his dreams to nightmares," Boualem Sansal declares in ...

From Theft to Restoration: Shakespeare’s First Folio’s Journey Back to Durham

This is Beirut, 04/04 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Britain Literature Crime Shakespeare Exhibition Culture

The Shakespeare First Folio edition stolen from Durham University's Cosin's Library in 1998 is one of only 235 known to survive, and is valued at more than £1 million ($1.3 million). The First Folio, published in 1623, was the first collection of Shakespeare's plays and each version is unique. It is considered to be one of the most important ...

Previously Clandestine Literature Displayed in Damascus Bookstores

Élie-Joe Kamel, 28/01 16:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Assad Literature Syrian opposition

Booksellers in Damascus can finally breathe after decades of intellectual terrorism under the Assad regime. Books on Syrian prisons, works by Salafists and banned political essays are now freely available for sale. With AFP

British Novelist David Lodge, Passes into His 'Small World'

This is Beirut, 04/01 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

London UK Culture Literature Writer

David Lodge, the celebrated British novelist who earned two Booker Prize nominations, passed away on New Year's Day at the age of 89, his publisher announced on Friday. Known for his sharp wit and insightful commentary, Lodge's works such as Small World (1984) and Nice Work (1988) were both nominated for the prestigious literary award during the ...

Tintin, Popeye, Hemingway, and Ravel Lose Copyright Protection in the U.S.

This is Beirut, 02/01 14:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Culture Art Cinema Music Literature

Every January 1, thousands of books, films, songs, musical pieces, artworks, and comic characters—95 years old—lose their copyright protection in the U.S. This means they can now be freely copied, shared, reproduced, or adapted, without paying a cent in royalties. The Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke University’s law school ...

Bapsi Sidhwa, Pioneering Pakistani Voice of Partition, Dies at 86

This is Beirut, 2024-12-28 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Culture Author Literature Writing Pakistan

Bapsi Sidhwa, the celebrated Pakistani author whose poignant exploration of the Partition of India captivated readers worldwide, has passed away at the age of 86 in Houston, Texas. She died on December 25, confirmed her daughter, Mohur Sidhwa, to AFP. Born on August 11, 1938, in Karachi to a Parsi family, Sidhwa spent much of her youth in Lahore, ...

Michel Tirabosco by Zahi Haddad: 'Le Souffle de Ma Vie'

Marie-Christine Tayah, 2024-12-20 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Writing Culture Biography Literature Music Art

On January 14, 2025, Le Souffle de ma vie will be published by Éditions Favre. Written by Zahi Haddad, a biographer celebrated for exploring themes like inclusion, diversity and authenticity, the book paints a compelling portrait of Tirabosco’s extraordinary journey. Two launch events will take place in Switzerland: January 16 at 6 PM at Payot ...

Boualem Sansal's Arrest: Literary Giants Unite Against Algerian Oppression

Bélinda Ibrahim, 2024-11-24 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

France Algeria Literature Writer Culture

The arrest of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal upon his arrival at Algiers airport on November 16 has sparked outrage across the literary world and beyond. At 75 years old, this committed intellectual, who became a French citizen in 2024, is known for his courageous stance against Islamism and totalitarianism. His detention by Algerian ...

Alarm in France over fate of prize-winning French-Algerian writer

This is Beirut, 2024-11-22 17:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Algeria France Boualem Sansal Islam Literature

French President Emmanuel Macron is concerned about the "disappearance" of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, his office said, after reports that the prize-winning novelist had been arrested in Algeria. Sansal, a major figure in francophone modern literature, is known for his strong stances against both authoritarianism and Islamism as well ...

Asterix Speaks in Grondspraatsi to Save a Rare Dialect

This is Beirut, 2024-11-08 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Finland Culture Literature

One of Asterix's classic comic adventures has been translated into a rare Swedish dialect spoken by just a few thousand people in Western Finland, marking a unique effort to preserve the language. Asterix and the Great Crossing, originally published in 1975, is now available in grondspraatsi—a local Swedish dialect spoken primarily in the ...

Urdu Bazaar in Delhi Faces Decline Amid Cultural Shifts

This is Beirut, 2024-11-05 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

culture literature books

In the heart of Old Delhi, bookseller Mohammed Mahfooz Alam sits in his quiet shop, one of the last few stores selling Urdu literature, a language cherished by poets for centuries. Urdu, spoken by millions, carries a rich history reflecting India's complex cultural blend. However, it has steadily declined under the dominance of Hindi, facing ...

Kamel Daoud Wins Goncourt for 'Houris' on Algeria’s War

This is Beirut, 2024-11-04 17:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Goncourt 2024 Literature Prize Paris Algeria

French-Algerian writer Kamel Daoud won France's top literary prize, the Goncourt, on Monday for a novel centered on Algeria's civil war between the government and Islamists in the 1990s. The jury needed just one round of voting to award the coveted prize to Daoud for his novel Houris, which explores what has become known as Algeria's "Black ...

Literature