Beirut 39

Beirut 39

New Writing from the Arab World

By Samuel Shimon Introduction by Tahar Ben Jelloun

An exciting collection of the best new writing from the Arab world, by thirty-nine writers under thirty-nine.

Beirut is the 2009 World Book Capital, as designated by UNESCO, and at the center of the festivities, in collaboration with the world-renowned Hay Festival, is a competition to identify the thirty-nine most promising young talents in Arab literature. The selection of the "Beirut 39" follows the success of a similar competition in the 2007 World Book Capital, Bogotá, celebrating achievements in Latin American literature.

This year, for the first time, the winners-nominated by publishers, literary critics, and readers across the Arab world and internationally, and selected by a panel of eminent Arab writers, academics, and journalists-will be published together in a one-of-a-kind anthology. Edited by Samuel Shimon of Banipal magazine, the collection will be published simultaneously in Arabic and English throughout the world by Bloomsbury and Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing.

Beirut 39 provides an important look at the Arab-speaking world today, through the eyes of thirty-nine of its brightest young literary stars.

Reviews for Beirut 39

“This fascinating collection of pieces by 39 young Arab voices from all over the world was put together by the Hay Festival in celebration of Beirut's 2009 selection as World Book Capital. Incorporating stories, poems, and novel excerpts, the enormously varied lineup includes Abdellah Taia's The Wounded Man, about a gay university student in Morocco watching a forbidden French film during Ramadan; an excerpt from "Frankenstein in Baghdad" by Ahmad Saadwi, in which a garbage-diver searches for the perfect nose to complete the hybrid body he's assembling; and Haneef from Glasgow by Mohammad Hassan, in which a Kashmiri immigrant is viewed through the eyes of his Saudi employers' son. Nazem El Sayed contributes delightfully compact revelations in his Thirteen Poems; Randa Jarrar takes a tender look at a Palestinian boy in The Story of My Building; Hala Kawtharani explores the Beirut of the 1950s and '60s in Lebanon/Switzerland? Beirut/Paris? Because they are so involving and diverse, readers may be frustrated by the entries' brevity, though anyone working on their to-read list will find plenty of ideas.” — Publishers Weekly.

“A well-conceived gathering of poems, short stories and other work by 39 Arab writers under the age of 40.…this is a well-made anthology, of much interest to students of world literature and of the contemporary Arab world.”— Kirkus Reviews

"This collection will appeal to literature lovers and anyone interested in understanding Arab culture."—Library Journal

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New Writing from the Arab World