Receive Our Newsletter
For news of readings, events and new titles.
Mahmoud al-Bayaty (d.2014)
Mahmoud al-Bayaty, the Iraqi writer and journalist, passed away on Friday 31 October 2014, at his home in London. Born in Baghdad, he left his country for political reasons in 1974. He lived in Prague for about 20 years and in Sweden for considerably longer.
He has published ten books including the short story collections: Breaking the Sound Barrier (1985), The Geography of the Soul (1994), Hallucinations behind the Scenes (1999), Waiting for the Stranger (2008) and Khalilo (2010). His novel Dancing on Water (2006) was banned by the Islamic Research Academy in Cairo under the pretext that it "contains poems which constitute indecent assault on morality".
Banipal published one of his short stories, Junction, in Banipal 49 – A Cornucopia of Short Stories, translated by his nephew, the writer and playwright Hassan Abdulrazzak. In remembrance of Mahmoud al-Bayaty Banipal is making this story available on our website to all readers. Click here to read it now.
Contributor's Issues
The Tent Generations
Things I Left Behind by Shada Mustafa, translated by Nancy Roberts
Shadow of the Sun by Taleb Alrefai
Birds of Nabaa, A Mauritanian Tale by Abdallah Uld Mohamadi Bah
The Stone Serpent, Barates of Palmyra’s Elegy for Regina his Beloved by Nouri Al-Jarrah
Mansi A Rare Man in His Own Way by Tayeb Saleh (Banipal Books, 2020)
Tayeb Salih
Goat Mountain by Habib Selmi
Habib Selmi, author of Goat Mountain and 3 times shortlisted for the IPAF
The Mariner by Taleb Alrefai (Banipal Books, 2020)
Taleb Alrefai, author of Shadow of the Sun and The Mariner
Digital images
Fadhil Al-Azzawi's Beautiful Creatures by Fadhil al-Azzawi (Banipal Books, 2021)
Fadhil al-Azzawi
Poems of Alexandria and New York by Ahmed Morsi (Banipal Books, 2021)
Digital Banipal promotion B67
Saïd Khatibi
Amjad Nasser (1955–2019)
Digital Banipal the full archive
Denys Johnson-Davies (1922–2017) 70 years translating Arabic literature
Ahmed Morsi, author of Poems of Alexandria and New York
Sarajevo Firewood
The Madness of Despair
Mahmoud Shukair – see special feature of Banipal 70 (Spring 2021)
LATEST NEWS
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
Link to poems by Mosab Abu Toha, published in Banipal 71 (Summer 2021), available to read online
* * *
Link to poem by Liana Badr published in Banipal 74, now available as an online selection
* * *
* * *
GRIFFIN PRIZE SHORTLIST 2023
* * *
* * *
* * *
Banipal's first audiobook* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
Banipal Book Club
* * *
