Marking ten years since his passing, we share the last lecture delivered by the writer and playwright Salman Natour, who was among the founders of the Maktoob series. He delivered these remarks at the conference ‘Ana Min Alyahud: On Jews, Mizrahiness, and the Arabic Language in Israel’ which was part of a broader project to promote the Arabic language in the academic sphere in Israel.
A conversation between Lebanese writer Elias Khoury and Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani, Maktoob’s editor-in-chief, who translated Khoury’s novels into Hebrew. The conversation took place at the Nantes Institute for Advanced Study in France on 12 March 2023; it offers a glimpse into their ongoing dialogue on literature and translation in colonial conflict zones.
In this podcast of the Tel Aviv review, Prof. Yehuda Shenhav Shaharabani, editor in chief of Maktoob books, discusses the life and writing of the great Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury. Shenhav Shaharabani single-handedly translated ten of Khoury’s novels, and was a close personal friend of his.
“A collection of stories now out in Hebrew will give Israelis a rare glimpse into the hearts of their northern neighbors”, Haaretz report featuring our new book “Kan Ya Ma Kan: Folktales from Bilad Alsham”.
“Jewish and Palestinian translators work together at Maktoob, a series of books bringing Arabic-language and Palestinian literature to Hebrew-language readers – and telling them things that most Israelis aren’t willing to hear”, Haaretz English featuring Maktoob project and senior staff.
“Prominent Lebanese writer Elias Khoury’s literary prowess is on display in the Hebrew version of ‘As Though She Were Sleeping,’ about the relationship between a Palestinian man from Jaffa and a girl from Beirut in 1947”. A review by Sheren Falah Saab published at Haaretz newspaper.
In this article, Dr.Aida Fahmawi Watad focuses on the complex cultural and political dynamics of translation of Palestinian literature into Hebrew, and the unique model of translation praxis developed by the Maktoob project.
A video from our last hands-on workshop featuring some of Maktoob’s translators and staff. The workshop took place at Mishkenot Sha’ananim center in Jerusalem between 13-15.9.2022.
Two recent books by Yehouda Shenhav provide a radical vision for the future of translation. A review by Ohad Zeltzer Zubida.
Banipal’s 72 edition features some of the most prominent Arab-Jewish writers.
Prof. Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani, chief editor of Maktoob, in conversation with Akin Ajayi, co-editor of Tel Aviv Review of Books.
Members of Maktoob speak at the Middle East Union festival about the publication “Amputated Tongue: Palestinian Prose in Hebrew” and about Maktoob’s binational and bilingual translation model.
Why is the collection of Palestinian stories translated into Hebrew called “Amputated Tongue”? The Social TV features the anthology of Palestinian prose in Hebrew published by Maktoob.
As an Iraqi Jew, Ballas never abandoned or stifled his native Arabic tongue..His commitment to Arabic and to Arab culture echoes in his literary body of work as he would reiterate time and time again. Prof. Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani writes about the late author Shimon Ballas.
Conversation between Dr. Yuval Evri and Prof. Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani, Maktoob’s chief editor, on bi-national translation, published at ReOrient magazine (Autumn 2020).
The new book of Dr.Yonatan Mendel, Maktoob’s deputy editor, traces the development of the teaching of Arabic in Israel over the past century and considers its underlying rationale.
“The extensive work of Samir Naqqash who rises now in the skies of Hebrew culture, deserves to be part of the Israeli canon.” Mati Shemoelof writes to “Mondoweiss” about the publication of Samir Naqqash’s novel in Hebrew.
“It is a political model to decolonize the colonial relations between the languages… to serve as a model for shared sovereignty in Israel-Palestine in the Middle East, so as to be a model for politics itself.” Maktoob at Mondoweiss.
In this article, Dr. Huda Abu Much discusses the different approaches in the field of translation from Arabic to Hebrew, and compares between the orientalist approach that was dominant in Israel and the more recent approaches, in particular the one that was developed at Maktoob.
“The Nation” Magazine features the Mizrahi petition against the Nation State Law that aims to lower the status of Arabic language in Israel. Among the interviewees- Prof. Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani, Maktoob’s chief editor, and Dr. Yoni Mendel, the deputy editor.
Check out this article by Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani, Maktoob’s chief editor who translated several novels of Elias Khoury to Hebrew, to the latest issue of “Banipal” magazine.
The size of her breasts and their roundness. Her father claims they have reached the size that attracts the looks of the truck drivers passing in the morning on the road running next to the village, while her mother says they are hardly noticable behind her bra.
A short story by Palestinian female writer Sheikha Hlewa.
Against the backdrop of the intensifying national conflict between Jews and Arabs, a multilingual translation project emerged in Palestine at the turn of the twentieth century. An article by Dr. Yuval Evri.
A short story by Tamara Naser translated from Arabic.
Raef Zreik, Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin and Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani met in cold, snowy Vienna for a dialogue with Elias Khoury, the renowned Lebanese writer, professor of literature, editor, and essayist. Read the complete dialogue here.
The latest issue of JLS: Journal of Levantine Studies was dedicated to Maktoob’s bi-national and bi-lingual translation model. Besides the articles, the issue includes translated literary texts from Arabic.
Haaretz Newspaper covers the publication of “Amputated Tongue”, “the first anthology of its kind of Palestinian prose in Hebrew translation”.
How can the absentees possibly write about a space and time from which they are removed? What happens to the first person narrator when they are stripped of their story that is then handed over to that illusive third person presence? Questions raised by Prof. Yehouda Shenhav Shahrabani at this afterward that he wrote to Elias Khoury’s novel “Stella Maris”.
If only she could find that word in her vocabulary. If only that word would cross the threshold of her mind and heart and make its long way from the depth of her bowels to her lips.
A short story by the Gazan female writer Sama Hasan.
Al-Monitor about Maktoob: “Its goal was to give a voice to Palestinian Arabic society in the hostile climate created by Israel’s right-wing regime that views Arabic as an enemy language”.
JLS- Journal of Levantine Studies issue dedicated to language and translation and spotlighted the relationship between Arabic and Hebrew.
Questions on language and translation from Arabic to Hebrew following the trial of poet Dareen Tatour. A text by Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani.