Literature has always been an important means of cultural exchange and dialogue. Translators and publishers live on the edge of poverty to make a beloved foreign world visible. Qantara.de presents some Arab and German figures.
The Syro-Lebanese poet and thinker Fuad Rifka is currently working on a new bilingual anthology of German poetry in Berlin. Youssef Hijazi spoke to him about his love of German culture and about the difficulties of translation
The search for great Arabic literature in Germany begins at the publishing house, Lenos. A portrait by Stefan Weidner for the German weekly newspaper, "Die Zeit".
The fall of Iran's Shah and September 11 were events which triggered the need for a dialogue between the West and the Islamic world. However, Hans Schiler, a publisher from Berlin, never needed any prompting. This has been an important issue for him for the past 25 years. An article by Christoph Burgmer for the German magazine "LiteraturNachrichten".
Twenty years ago, the Iraqi poet and publisher Khalid Al-Maaly founded Al-Kamel, a publishing company, in Cologne. On the occasion of the anniversary, Qantara.de interviewed Al-Maaly about the difficulties of Arabic publishers and the reception of German literature in Arabic countries.
Dr. Abdo Abboud, Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Damascus, complains of a lack of interest in modern German literature amongst Arabs studying German.
Hartmut Fähndrich is one of the most prominent German translators of Arabic novels and short stories into German. He has translated more than 30 literary works by the most famous Arab authors and is in charge of the Arabic series in the publishing house Lenos in Switzerland .
The German writer Günther Grass visited the Republic of Yemen in December 2002. He played a key role at a cultural conference. The discussions were mainly focussed on politics.
Writers from Germany and the Islamic world are brought together through an ambitious project. The Libanese Abbas Beydoun and Michael Kleeberg from Germany were the first two to meet.
"I knew nothing about the Middle East," admits Michael Kleeberg. Abbas Beydoun taught him about the complexity of the Arab world. During the visit, Beydoun went out and experienced everyday life in Berlin. This is about an intercultural encounter with literary ambitions.
Some Arab writers living in Germany no longer write in their native tongue, but in German. Many of these writers can finally express themselves without the pressures of politics and censorship.
Mahmoud Darwish, critically acclaimed as one of the most important poets of the Arabic language, is often referred to as "the voice of the Palestinian people". Now, two new publications provide an illuminating look at his life and work. By Martina Sabra
In his latest novel which has just been published in German under the title “Kannibalen” (Cannibals), Moroccan author and painter Mahi Binebine tells a dark tale of illegal aliens, waiting on the beach of Tanger to set sails for Europe.
A bilingual magazine dedicated to German and Arabic poetry was discussed at a poets' meeting in Yemen. Four issues of Divan have been published since then.
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