ArabLit Quarterly

ArabLit Quarterly emerged in 2018 from the community around the ArabLit website and Bulaq podcast. It aims to bring out beautiful literary translations from Arabic, fresh work by Arab artists, and also new forms of literary criticism that re-frame the discussions around Arabic literature, translation, and art. In our pages, you can find classical Arabic recipes in translation, illuminative infographics, and literary playlists.

Latest issue

When Naguib Mahfouz was a boy, he tells us, two paths lay before him. There was the path of the literature he loved to read and write. He could take that path and become a distinguished author. There was also the path of the football he loved to play and the footballers he admired. He could take that, it was said, and become a member of the Egyptian Olympic football team.

As we know, Mahfouz chose the literary path. But many other authors have woven between football and literature -- either playing or writing about the sport -- and this issue brings together fiction, satire, poetry, essay, and the sport of football. With bilingual popular football chants from five countries, from Morocco to Bahrain; poetry and fiction from award-winning authors writing in Arabic; and essays and interviews about the history of the sport. Football brings together drama, politics, violence, delight, and music. This issue is a joy for football fans and non-football fans alike.