The 2017 Nobel Laureate: Kazuo Ishiguro

In a major coup in the literary world, HBKU Press acquired the rights to translate all eight books of 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature winner, Kazuo Ishiguro, into Arabic. The agreement with HBKU Press was signed after Ishiguro was named the winner of the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature. The Nobel Committee described Ishiguro as a “…writer who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world".

In addition to the Arabic version of An Artist of the Floating World, which HBKU Press launched at last year’s DIBF, HBKU Press will launch the translations of The Remains Of The Day (1989, winner of the Booker Prize), When We Were Orphans (2000, shortlisted for the Booker Prize), The Buried Giant (2015, which was a #1 UK bestseller), and a book of stories, Nocturnes (2009). The translations of A Pale View of Hills (1982, Winifred Holtby Prize), The Unconsoled (1995, winner of the Cheltenham Prize), and Never Let Me Go (2005, shortlisted for the MAN Booker Prize) will be available in early 2019.

And the award goes to…

This year was all about bringing the works of notable internationally-recognized authors to local Arabic readers in Qatar. Among those are the works of first-time author Emily Fridlund, whose novel History of Wolves was nominated for the 2017 MAN Booker prize. The ‘coming-of-age’ novel follows the life of a 14-year-old girl living in the remnants of a commune in the Minnesota woods, who struggles to navigate the hardships of adolescence. Hailed as “…Compelling…History of Wolves stands out…” by The Sunday Telegraph and “…heartbreakingly beautiful…” by author T.C. Boyle, the book made waves on the literary scene and is sure to be a hit in Arabic as well.

Additionally, renowned translator Saleh Almani has once again worked his magic on renowned Mexican author Jorge Ibarguengoitia’s dark tale, Las Muertas detailing the decade-long career as serial killers of two sisters, Delfina & María de Jesús González from Guanajuato, Mexico. Almani spins the Spanish tale into lyrical Arabic prose and effectively renders Ibarguengoitia’s acclaimed novel that explores the life and times of the sisters in a fictional re-telling of their criminal past who, after a series of unfortunate accidents, run out of luck and are finally convicted for the murders of six other women.

For fans of the 2017 International Book Award winner Bitter Almonds, English-language readers can delight in Lilas Taha’s second published novel with HBKU Press, Lost in Thyme. 

Thrust together by fate, Sami Amara and Petra Haddad begin a whirlwind journey that explores their families’ mysterious past, from America all the way to the precarious rural landscapes of their native country, Palestine. As their lives and histories entangle and intertwine, will they be able to forge a shared future together or will fate once again intervene?

And for Non-fiction readers, Birth of a Dream Weaver charts the very beginnings of a writer’s creative output in the wonderful memoir of award-winning Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o. The book recounts the four years he spent in Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda—threshold years where he found his voice as a playwright, journalist, and novelist, just as Uganda, Kenya, Congo, and other countries were in the final throes of their independence struggles.

From the world of Academics

History of the past and present of the Arab world is explored in the various original language studies published by HBKU Press. 

In The Architecture of Dead Cities (Amaaret Al-Modon Al-Maitah), author Nasser Al-Rabat takes readers on a journey back in time to the ‘dead cities’ of the historical land of Syria, wonderfully remote, relatively unknown and unfortunately neglected, where the secrets of Syria’s history are revealed.  

Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Zareer’s study, Historians and Historical Writing in the Arabian Peninsula (Al-Muarrikhun Wal Kitaba Attarikhiya Fi Al-Jazeera Al-Arabiyah) takes an in-depth look at the role played by the historians of the Arabian Peninsula in the history of their countries during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries.

A biography Ajwad bin Zamil, the Sultan of Jabriyah, written by Dr. Ali Al Hajiri, explores the life of the most famous sultan of the region, whose rule represented a period of prosperity. This stage is an important stage in the political history of the al-Qa'ida al-Qa'bariya.

And finally, two books that explore Turkish politics, The Experience of the Justice and Development Party in Governance (Tajrbit Hezb Al-‘edat w Al-tanmiyt fi Al-hikim) and The Presidential System and Political Reform in Turkey (Al-nizam Al-ra’ysi w Al-tahawul Al-siyasi fi Turkiah),  have also been published by HBKU Press.

Something for everyone

These books and many more will launch at the Doha International Book Fair (DIBF) 2018 from November 29 – December 8, 2018. The DIBF will be held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center and opens every day from 9:00a.m. to 10:00p.m., and on Fridays from 4:00p.m. to 10:00p.m. Follow us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/hbkupress) and on Twitter and Instagram (@hbkupress) for daily updates from the fair.