68 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ MARCH 2, 2020
Soapbox
“The Arabian Nights has retained its power and preeminence in the cultural consciousness
for good reason, but it’s time some new voices had the opportunity to be heard as well”
Moving Beyond the
‘Arabian Nights’
The director of an Arabic book prize
argues that the time has come for
more Arabic works to be translatedBy Mouza Al Shamsi
Abbas Beydoun—are not known
outside the Arab world. This is a
loss felt by all: the authors
deserving of recognition; the
wider public, who are deprived of
great works of literature; and the
entire world, in missing the
opportunity for deeper under-
standing between cultures.
In recent years, literary prizes
have become drivers of transla-
tion, recognizing the urgent need
to celebrate Arabic literature of
quality and ensure it is shared
with the world. In 2018, we launched the Sheikh Zayed Book
Award Translation Fund, in recognition of the active role of
translation in fostering cultural communication and in pro-
moting the diversity of Arabic literature internationally. By
providing grants for foreign publishers to translate our winning
titles, we are able to share stories that represent the differences
in our culture, history, and experience but that transcend cultural
differences to locate what is universal.
A fantastic example of how translation can open up produc-
tive dialogues between cultures is a wonderful children’s book
called The Dinoraf, by Emirati author Hessa Al Muhairi. In this
story about crossing borders and finding common ground, the
main character is a dinosaur who searches for his closest relatives
among the other animals. Along the way, he discovers the value of
what makes each creature different and forges a special connection
with the giraffe, so ending his journey as a “dinoraf.” Through
our grants, The Dinoraf was translated into English, French,
and Italian.
I’d encourage more foreign publishers to look to the Arab
world, where some of the most exciting work being produced by
authors today is deepening and challenging the idea of what it
means to write in the Arabic tradition and to live in the glorious
many-sidedness of the Middle East. It is the role of literary prizes
and institutional bodies to smooth the path for translators and
publishers, encouraging them to take risks and challenge audi-
ences with new perspectives.
If the circulation of stories across borders was possible
throughout the Byzantine era and the Middle Ages, we
shouldn’t be facing barriers to accessing translated texts in a
globalized, technologically advanced world with a formal
publishing industry. The Arabian Nights has retained its power
and preeminence in the cultural consciousness for good reason,
but it’s time some new voices had the opportunity to be heard
as well. ■The Arabian Nights (also known as One Thousand and One Nights)
is a collection of centuries-old stories originating in the Arab
world that has traveled far and wide and had an enduring influ-
ence on global literature. The captivating tales tell of merchants,
treasures, voyages, and adventure, and of thieves, slavery, lust,
and violence, all tied together by the storyteller Scheherazade,
the princess who famously uses the power of these narratives to
delay her own death sentence. This masterpiece of the Islamic
Golden Age has been a pervasive force in the cultural imagination,
creating a reference point for “Arabian” storytelling that has
endured for generations, and is in many ways still the best-known
work of Arabic literature.Y
et in my view, the secret to Arabian Nights’ fame is not
only in the interweaving plots, fantasies, and illusions of
its narratives but also in the fact of its retelling. These
tales passed from storytellers and travelers throughout history and
around the world, surfacing in texts from Chaucer to Shakespeare,
before being published in French in the 18th century and rewritten
by authors and scholars in many languages ever since. When we
speak of the Arabian Nights and its success, we are celebrating not
only the power of exceptional storytelling but the power of
translation.
The Arab world is a mosaic of countries and creativity, yet
perceptions from the outside are all too often filtered through
the lens of current affairs: discussions of conflict, politics, and
natural resources can come together to present a distorted
picture of the region. But as the director of a leading prize for
Arabic writing, I am acutely aware that the ideas, innovation,
and myriad voices coming out of this part of the world are mul-
tifaceted, diverse, and deserving of an audience.
Over the four years I have been director of the Sheikh Zayed
Book Award, I have had the pleasure of witnessing the honoring
of some of the finest pieces of modern writing in Arabic litera-
ture and the humanities. However, many of the honored
authors—such as Hussein Al Mutawwa, Ahmed Al Qarmalawy, Mouza Al Shamsi is the director of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.