Hoopoe Fiction

02/12/2025

Marking the Birthday of Ibrahim Nasrallah

We take this opportunity to honor his significant contributions to Arabic literature.

Ibrahim Nasrallah, winner of the 2026 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, is a renowned Palestinian poet, novelist, professor, painter, and photographer. Born in the ‘Wihdat’ Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, he has dedicated his life and voice to preserving Palestinian identity.

He is the author of “Gaza Weddings” (Hoopoe, 2017), “Time of White Horses” (Hoopoe, 2016), and “The Lanterns of the King of Galilee: A Novel of 18th-Century Palestine” (AUC Press, 2015).
Learn more: https://aucpress.com/author/ibrahim-nasrallah/

Enjoy a 20% discount in Egypt during the AUC Christmas Book Fair at AUC Bookstores Egypt, and worldwide with the code GIFT2025.
Offer valid through 6 December 2025.

02/12/2025

The shortlist for the 2025 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation has been announced, and two Hoopoe titles are among the six selected works.

Marilyn Booth, shortlisted for her translation of award-winning Omani author Zahran Alqasmi’s “Honey Hunger” (Hoopoe, 2025).

Judges’ comments: Marilyn Booth’s translation of “Honey Hunger” is described as a masterclass in poetic translation that remains remarkably faithful to the original. The judges praised her precision, her sensitive handling of complex language and local detail, and the way she brings the novel’s remote landscapes and hidden worlds vividly close for English-language readers.

Marilyn Booth is a renowned literary translator and formerly the Khalid bin Abdullah Al Saud Professor for the Study of the Contemporary Arab World at Oxford University. She is a recipient of the International Booker Prize.

Her translated works with Hoopoe include: “No Road to Paradise” by Hassan Daoud (Hoopoe, 2017), “The Open Door” by Latifa Al-Zayaat (Hoopoe, 2017), “The Loved Ones” by Alia Mamdouh (Hoopoe, 2008), and “The Leaves of Narcissus” by Somaya Ramadan (Hoopoe, 2007).

Kay Heikkinen, shortlisted for her translation of Radwa Ashour’s “Granada: The Complete Trilogy”.

Judges’ comments: Kay Heikkinen handles this plurilingual trilogy with exceptional skill, capturing the textual richness and historical depth of the original with accuracy and nuance. The judges highlighted the significance of this major translation effort, noting that “Heikkinen’s translation, bringing us the entire trilogy in English for the first time, earns its own accolades as a stunning rendition of a masterful work of Arabic literature.”

“Granada” was named one of the top literary works of the twentieth century by the Arab Writers’ Union.

Kay Heikkinen is a translator and academic with a PhD from Harvard University and currently the Ibn Rushd Lecturer of Arabic at the University of Chicago. She received the 2020 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for her translation of “Velvet” by Huzama Habayeb (Hoopoe, 2019).

Her other translations include Radwa Ashour’s “The Woman from Tantoura,” Naguib Mahfouz’s “In the Time of Love,” and Ibrahim Abdel Meguid’s “Clouds over Alexandria.”

For full details, visit: www.banipaltrust.org.uk/prize/award.cfm

01/12/2025

Historic first: Salwa Bakr Wins the Inaugural BRICS Literature Award for Egypt

Egyptian writer Salwa Bakr has been named the inaugural laureate of the BRICS Literature Award, announced in Khabarovsk, Russia, following a vote by an international jury.

This marks a major recognition for Egypt in the award’s very first edition.

Bakr is a leading voice in contemporary Arabic prose, known for her feminist perspective and wide-ranging body of work, including seven short story collections, seven novels, and a play. Her writing has been translated into several European languages.

Among her most celebrated works is "The Golden Chariot," translated by Dinah Manisty and published by Hoopoe. Named one of the 50 Most Important Arabic Novels of the 20th Century by The National.

The novel examines class, gender, and justice through the experiences of women in Egypt. It follows Aziza, an upper-class woman imprisoned for killing her stepfather—who was also her lover—and introduces a cast of female prisoners whose stories reflect systemic inequalities, from forced marriages to economic hardship and the shortcomings of the justice system.
Bakr’s win offers an opportunity to revisit this powerful book.

Learn more about the novel: https://tinyurl.com/the-golden-chariot

23/11/2025

Congratulations to Omar El Akkad on winning the National Book Awards for "One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This."

We appreciated his powerful endorsement of "Here Is a Body" by the internationally acclaimed Egyptian author Basma Abdel Aziz, translated by Jonathan Wright (Hoopoe, 2021), which he described as “an unflinching and deeply humane masterwork.”

Learn more about "Here is a Body", available in the US & Canada, UK, Europe & Rest of World: https://tinyurl.com/HIAB-novel

16/11/2025

"The Jinn Daughter: A Novel" by Rania Hanna (Hoopoe, 2024) is a haunting debut that draws you deep into a world of magic, mythology, and ancient legend.
Rooted in Middle Eastern folklore, this gripping tale follows a mother’s desperate journey to save her only daughter from Kamuna, Death herself, and the ruler of the underworld, merging myth with mystery in an unforgettable story.

Learn more about “The Jinn Daughter”: tinyurl.com/Readjinndaughter

10/11/2025

Looking for your next read?

AUC Press staff and international media spotlight unforgettable stories from the Arab world.

Discover their reading recommendations and let these powerful voices accompany you into the cooler days ahead.

Read more: https://bit.ly/Reading-Recommendation

This fall, literary editors and AUC Press staff spotlight powerful voices and unforgettable stories from the Arab world. Discover their reading recommendations.

30/10/2025

Opening a Path to My House in Palestine: A Conversation with Ibrahim Nasrallah

Read an interview conducted by Shereen Malherbe with Ibrahim Nasrallah, winner of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature (2025), published by World Literature Today.
Nasrallah’s acclaimed novel "Time of White Horses" (Hoopoe, 2016) was selected as the representative text for the prize.

He has also been honored with the Jerusalem Award for Culture and Creativity (2012), the Booker Prize for the Arabic Novel (2018), and the Palestine Prize (2022).

Read the interview: https://tinyurl.com/interview-ibrahim-nasrallah

Other acclaimed novels by Ibrahim Nasrallah, translated by Nancy Roberts and published by Hoopoe are "Gaza Weddings" (2017), "The Lanterns of the King of Galilee" (2015).

28/10/2025

Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF)

The 44th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) will take place at the Sharjah Expo Center between 5th and 16th November 2025.

​The study of Egyptology will feature world-renowned Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass joining the impressive lineup of over 80 Arab cultural figures.
A celebrated archaeologist, UNESCO Ambassador, and author of more than 40 books, many published by AUC Press.
Zahi Hawas’s most recent title is "Mountains of the Pharaohs: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders" (AUC Press, 2024).

Also among the distinguished Arab voices is acclaimed Omani novelist, Zahran Alqasmi, author of "Honey Hunger" translated by Marilyn Booth (Hoopoe 2024), winner of the 2022 International Prize for Arabic Fiction.

Sharjah Book Authority
Dr. Zahi Hawass
زهران القاسمي

Read more here: https://sharjah24.ae/en/Articles/2025/10/15/d68

22/10/2025

Ibrahim Nasrallah Wins the 2026 Neustadt Prize

Palestinian writer Ibrahim Nasrallah has been named the 2026 laureate of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, often referred to as the “American Nobel.”

Honored for his profound storytelling that explores exile, identity, and resistance, Nasrallah joins a remarkable list of past winners including Gabriel García Márquez, Edwidge Danticat, and Tomas Tranströmer.

Congratulations to Ibrahim Nasrallah on this well-deserved global recognition.

Explore Nasrallah’s novels, published in English translation by Hoopoe: “ Inside the Night” (2007), "The Lanterns of the King of Galilee" (2015), “Time of White Horses" (2016), "Gaza Weddings" (2017): https://aucpress.com/author/ibrahim-nasrallah/

20/10/2025

A powerful classic

“Zayni Barakat”, translated by Farouk Abdel Wahab, with a foreword by Edward Said (AUC Press, 2004).

Set in 16th-century Mamluk Cairo, this gripping novel follows a governor who rules through surveillance and fear. Told through diary entries, legal texts, and official reports, it remains a masterful political allegory.

Learn more about “Zayni Barakat” by Gamal al-Ghitani, translated by Farouk Abdel Wahab:
https://tinyurl.com/Zayni-Barakat

17/10/2025

Winner of the 2022 Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature, "Empty Cages", translated by Adam Talib, is a story of love, loss, and survival.
The novel is an urgent and raw confessional of memory and family and all that is lost and won in one woman’s lifetime.

Available at AUC Bookstores Egypt and worldwide through major bookstores and online book retailers.
Read more in this AUC Press blog: https://tinyurl.com/Blog-Empty-Cages