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The Atlas is proud to be partnering with the Hay Festival's Beirut39 contest, celebrating Beirut's year as UNESCO World Book Capital, to find the hottest authors under 40 of Arabic origin. Nominations are open until August 24th, 2009.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

AUC Press: A Tribute

A rare publisher dedicated to translating the best of Arabic contemporary writing into English, the American University in Cairo Press is profiled in Al-Ahram Weekly by Gamal Nkrumah. AUC Director Mark Linz comments that:
As the AUC Press approaches its 50th anniversary in 2010, it has, over the past 24 years and especially over the last 12, found renewed talent and energy as it has become the major translator of contemporary Arab literature.
And it's working well for them:
We sold more books [at Cairo] this year than this time last year. Our colleagues in Europe and North America are moaning and groaning because of the global economic meltdown.
As Nkrumah comments:
There is an upsurge of interest in Arabic literature and the AUC Press is in a perfect position to take full advantage of this old-new phenomenon.

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