showdaily

05

The Arabic Book

23rd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

24 - 29 March 2013

Bringing Back the Golden

Age of Arab Science
by Chip Rossetti

Jim Al-Khalili admits he

didnt fit the stereotype
of a future scientist as a
schoolboy: I wasnt your
average nerd dismantling
radio sets. It was my brother
who owned the telescope in
the family.

Born in Baghdad to an Iraqi father and a

British mother, it wasnt until his early teens
that he first thought of himself as a budding
scientist: I must have been about 13. In
physics class, I performed well on a test and I
remember the teacher hauling me in front of
the classroom and patting me on the head.
Actually, I felt quite pleased with myself,
thinking, Clearly I have a talent for this. From
that day on, he began pursuing science with
a passion. He eventually focused on physics,
since its a subject that asks the most
fundamental questions about space, time and
the universe, he explains. Moving to the UK
with his family at age 16, Al-Khalili received his
PhD in theoretical nuclear physics from the
University of Surrey, where he now teaches.
On top of his scholarly contributions to the
field, he has also become one of the UKs
most prominent commentators on science for
the general public: in addition to presenting
award-winning television documentaries
and presenting a weekly science program
on BBC Radio, he is the author of several
popular science books, and will be speaking
on his two most recent books here at the Fair:
Paradox, which outlines the nine greatest
enigmas in physics, and Pathfinders: The
Golden Age of Arabic Science (published in
the US as House of Wisdom.)
In Pathfinders, Al-Khalili offers biographical
portraits of some of the most important
scientists in the medieval Arab and Islamic
world. As Al-Khalili points out, many of these
giants in the history of science have been
unjustly overlooked or forgotten. Some, such
as Ibn Rushd and Ibn Sina (known as Averroes
and Avicenna in Europe) are widely known
today. But Al-Khalili is keen to note that this
history is also full of fascinating characters
who deserve better recognition. One such
character is al-Biruni, a Persian polymath who
wrote in Arabic, and whose contributions

01

Iraqi-born professor
and media
personality Jim
Al-Khalili is on a
mission to revive
the reputation of
forgotten pioneers
of science.

ranged from history to geography,

geology, trigonometry, and mathematics.
Among other things, al-Biruni measured
the circumference of earth, devising a
more ingenious and accurate way than
Eratosthenes had used, involving geometry
and trigonometry. Remarkably, al-Biruni
came to a figure within 1% of the actual
measurement.
More colorful still is the Iraqi-born Ibn
al-Haytham (known as Alhazen in Latin.)
Born in Basra in southern Iraq during the
fourth Islamic century (965AD), he was one
of the earliest proponents of the scientific
method and did important work on optics.
I regard him as the greatest physicist in the
two thousand years between Archimedes
and Newton, says Al-Khalili. Ibn al-Haytham
successfully feigned madness (twice!) to get
out of difficult situations: once to duck out of
a job he wanted to avoid, and another time
when he realized that his plan to build a dam
across the Nile was unworkable. Fearing that
the Fatimid caliph in Cairo who had hired
him would have him executed, he pretended

www.adbookfair.com | Wednesday to Monday 09:00 - 22:00 | Friday 16:00 - 22:00

Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2013

to be insane. As a result, he was merely

placed under house arresta punishment
which conveniently allowed him the leisure
time to pursue further scientific work.
The reaction Al-Khalili has received from
readers has been overwhelmingly positive,
he says: Lots of people ask me, Why dont
we know about these scientists the same
way we know about Galileo, Newton, and
others? In the Arab world, he finds that
people are rightly proud of this heritage,
and he hopes that modern societies will
make use of the real intellectual freedom of
thought that was so vital to this golden age
of Arabic science. But as far as Al-Khalili is
concerned, highlighting the work of these
scientists and thinkers is a long-overdue
correction of historical memory: This is the
untold story of sciencefull stop.
Jim Al-Khalili will be speaking today at
19:00-20:00, on Pathfinders: The Golden
Age of Arabic Science, at the Discussion
Sofa, and on Monday, 11:00-12:00, on
Paradox: The Greatest Enigmas in
Science, also at the Discussion Sofa.

05

The Sheikh Zayed Book

Award (SZBA), celebrated
as the most important
cultural event in the Arab
region, hosted the first
of three seminars with
Elizabeth Suzanne Kassab,
winner of the Development
and Building of Nations
Award and author of
work Al Fikr Al Arabi Al
Muaser (Contemporary
Arab Thought).

Sheikh Zayed Book Award Seminars

kick off at ADIBF with an in-depth look
at contemporary Arab thought
MASTHEAD
Editor:
Edward Nawotka
Deputy Editor:
Irum Fawad
Design Manager:
Nada Baroudy
Bylined articles do not
necessarily reflect the
views of the editors.
Abu Dhabi International Book Fair
2013
All rights reserved.
Duplication, either in whole or in part,
permissible only with the prior written
consent of the Abu Dhabi International
Book Fair.

02

www.adbookfair.com

Elizabeth joined Dr Masoud Daher, Member

of the Scientific Committee of the Award on
the discussion sofa to chat about her book
and what it means to her to win the SZBA
and her work on understanding the process
of cultural decolonisation within the Arab
context.
Her work is considered as the first analysis
of major trends and thinkers through the
application of a comparative perspective
that brings the Arab world into conversation
with Africa, the United States, Europe, and
Latin America. Kassab has been awarded a
Fulbright fellowship to work on her research
project at the New School University in New
York. After which she was a Visiting Scholar at
Columbia University for several years and a
Visiting Associate Professor at the Yale Center
for International and Area Studies in 200607. Since 2012 Kassab has been a Mellon
Visiting Professor at the Cogut Center for the
Humanities of Brown University in USA.
The interactive seminar gave the opportunity
for Dr. Kassab to discuss in depth her
motivation for undertaking a ten year
commitment to present the study. In her
words, she believes Al Fikr Al Arabi Al
Muaser only scratches the surface of such
a complicated arena, and views her work
as an invitation for future scholars and
researchers to continue where she has left
off by delivering more focused and deeper
insights on cultural critique in contemporary
Arab thought.

Dr. Kassab is a self-proclaimed curator of

the modern tradition of modern Arab thought,
taking stock of all that was achieved and
produced by Arab critical thinkers, so that
it doesnt get lost, so that new generations
can get to know their immediate turath, be
proud of it, learn from it, discuss it, improve
on it, own it, transmit it, and critically teach it
to future generations.
Dr. Kassab also spoke of her appreciation in
becoming a part of the Sheikh Zayed Book
Award alumni, and spoke of how Abu Dhabi
could easily become a cultural hub for Arab
heritage, where Arab scholars can interact
directly and not via western congregations.
The Sheikh Zayed Book Awards is an
excellent forum to bring together Arab
thinkers and scholars, and this is a wonderful
opportunity for me to share my work with
others, she said.

Elizabeth
Kassabs book is
characterised by
its highly extensive
research in modern
criticism and the
breadth of its
scope...

Dr. Masoud Daher, who facilitated the

seminar, holds a PhD in social history from
Sorbonne University, Paris and has been
teaching at the Lebanese University since
1973. Appointed as a member of the Council
of Scientific Advisory Lebanese University
College of Arts and Humanities in 1996 Dr,
Daher has participated in more than two
hundred Arab and International conferences.
He is regularly invited as a visiting professor
to the University of Tokyo and Georgetown
University in Washington, and has won the
award for best Arabic book in the humanities
in 2000 from the Kuwait Foundation for the
Advancement of Science. He said: I am
optimistic the Sheikh Zayed Book Awards will
continue to grow and get the global coverage
it deserves, with a distinct focus on Arab
culture.
Dr Ali Bin Tamim, the Secretary General
added: Elizabeth Kassabs book is
characterised by its highly extensive research
in modern criticism and the breadth of its
scope...we are very proud she joined the
Award alumni.
The final seminar will take place throughout
the Abu Dhabi Book Fair at the Discussion
Sofa at the following times:
Interview with: Adil Hadjami
Winner of Young Author Award
Host: Dr Masoud Daher, Member of the
Scientific Committee of the Award
Sunday, 28 April 2013, 12:00 13:00

23rd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

24 - 29 April 2013

Urdu Writer Fahmida Riaz:

Feminist and Provocateur

by Vinutha Mallya

I write only about

reality; I find it hard
to invent anything,
says Fahmida Riaz, the
outspoken Urdu poet,
writer and feminist
from Pakistan. The
writer and her family
had lived in exile in
India after having
been charged under
sedition laws in Gen.
Zia Ul-Haqs regime in
Pakistan. In Godavari, a
novella set against the
backdrop of communal
riots in Bombay (now
Mumbai) in the 1980s,
Riaz has borrowed from
her experiences in India
to explore conflicts
social and personal.
Her feminist stance and fearless literary
expression, in both poetry and prose, have
given a new voice to Urdu literature. But
they have also challenged the chauvinist
and oppressive power structures.
Show Daily: Godavari appears to be a
simple tale on the surface, but there are
many subtexts that call the attention of a
reader. How did you bring these together
in the same text?
Fahmida Riaz: I envisioned three
unresolved conflicts in the book.
In the forefront is the HinduMuslim
riots in Bombay. The second is the
snatching of the mountain in Maharashtra
that belongs to the Adivasis (indigenous
people that were kept outside the Hindu
caste system) by the British, Hindu and
Muslims, who join hands to take it away.
Then there is the personal story of
Ma and Ba and their children.
The couple is unable to exist in a
happy manwoman relationship.
All these conflicts have their own
contradictions, good sides and rays
of hope within them.

03

www.adbookfair.com

I can only write

about reality; I
find it hard to
invent anything.
SD: Godavari contains several
autobiographical elements
FR: I can write only about reality; I find
it hard to invent anything. I write about
something that needs to be understood.
I write to be able to understand what is
happening in my life and around me.
SD: Why did you choose to live in exile
in India, despite the political differences
between the two countries? How did living
there affect the perception in Pakistan, of
you and your work?
FR: We were about to be charged for
sedition, when I received an invitation in
India for a mushaira (poetic symposium). We
left for India at that opportunity. There I met
Amrita Pritam (well-known Indian writer in

Punjabi), who spoke to Prime Minister Indira

Gandhi to allow us to stay. When I went back
to Pakistan, Zia was still in power. People
who supported the democratic movement
welcomed me back. Only the military
bureaucracy established by Gen. Zia had
a problem. Life was made very difficult for
me only later, after Nawaz Sharif overthrew
Benazir Bhutto.
SD: What is the state of womens writing in
Pakistan?
FR: There are now more women writers
now, and they are writing uninhibitedly, by
expressing themselves than they did ever
before. Women writers in Urdu are creating
a splash. Urdu is not the only language in
Pakistan. There are other, older languages
like Sindhi and Pashtun. Also Punjabi, where
there is now very modern literature too.
SD: Did Malalas courage and her shooting
bring any changes for women in Pakistan?
FR: There are only two times that I have
seen our nation feel like one person: once
was when a major earthquake struck in
Kashmir in 2005. The second was when

Malala was shot. There was not a single

household which wanted that to happen. It
left everyone distraught, including the army.
Malala emerged then as a symbol of a new
generation of Pakistanis.
SD: How can women challenge the
patriarchal domination over language?
FR: By writing without inhibition. By calling
a spade a spade. Men have chosen to talk
about women in their own symbols and
metaphors. When women do not follow this,
it shocks them. Then they begin to reconcile.
It takes time.
SD: Have the translations of your books
brought in more readers?
FR: It has done wonders. It is ironic that
whatever good paragraphs are written
about my work are in English, not Urdu. My
contributions to Urdu literature have not
been touched upon in Urdu literary criticism.
It is as if I dont exist. But they have been
written about in English.
Fahmida Riaz will be in conversation with
Vinutha Mallya at 19:30 at The Tent.

05
Reza
Aslan:

Engaging
the World
Across
Multiple
Platforms
by Chip Rossetti

In the eight years since he

published his first book, the
international bestseller No
god but God: The Origins,
Evolution, and Future of
Islam in 2005, Reza Aslan
has become a much-needed
voice in the American
media as an authority on
Islam and the West, the
misunderstandings that
fuel extremism, and the
commonalities shared by
different religious traditions.
Born in Tehran in 1972,
Reza Aslan moved to the
United States with his family
in the wake of the Iranian
revolution, and went on to
study religion at Harvard and
the University of California.
Between his high media
visibility (among other
things, he has appeared
multiple times as a guest on
The Daily Show with John
Stewart) and the gravitas
he brings to the subjects
he writes about, Aslan has
achieved an enviable level
of public prominence as an
author.

04

www.adbookfair.com

In addition to his writing (his next book,

the provocatively titled Zealot: The Life
and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, will be
published in the US this summer), Aslan
is expanding into other forms of media as
well: he is the founder of AslanMedia.com,
an online journal for fresh perspectives
on the people and societies of the Middle
East; more recently, he helped to found
BoomGen Studios, a film studio that focuses
on content from and about the region. We
are deep into development of our first two
film projects, Aslan explains, starting with
a film called Birthright, which he describes
as a romantic comedy about a shy, dorky
Jewish kid who goes to Israel and gets lost
in the West Bank. He is currently writing the
screenplay for BoomGens second project,
a feature-length animated film being coproduced with an experienced French team.
The film, Ajax, is based on a 2011 graphic
novel for the iPad about the CIA-led 1953
coup that toppled Irans government and

The author, TV personality, media

maven and filmmaker is Americas
favorite authority on Islam.
had far-reaching consequences for Iran and
the region.
Outside of his various projects, Aslan
maintains a keen interest in the events that
are reshaping the contemporary Middle
East, and in particular how those events
are perceived outside the region, pointing
out the disconnect in the way the ongoing
revolutions in the Arab world are being
interpreted and broadcast in the US, and the
way they are lived by people in the region.
In the US and Europe, the general media
narrative paints a picture of a frustrated
Arab spring, although people in the region
itself take a much different, more optimistic
view. The Egyptians I talked to say that

they are still in a long-term revolution, he

explains. It is a view that the western media
has no appetite for.
Whether authoring books on global religion,
editing an anthology of Middle Eastern
fiction, or writing a screenplay on modern
political history, Aslan has become a
perceptive commentator on the fault lines
that divide societies as well as the bridges
that connect them, often in unexpected ways.
On Sunday, April 28, from 18:00-19:00 in
The Tent, Reza Aslan will be participating
in No god But God: A Conversation About
Islam with Reza Aslan, hosted by Alia
Yunis.

23rd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

24 - 29 April 2013

Engaging the

Other
Through
Fiction

by Chiara Comito

Writing about multiculturalism in Italy

or, the lack of it is not an easy task,
especially if you have been a migrant
yourself, such as was Amara Lakhous.
Lakhous was born and raised in Algeria
and arrived in Italy in the 90s as a refugee.
Things have changed over the years and
today he has acquired Italian citizenship
but, perhaps of more importance, is that
he has now become one of the best known
writers in Italy.

Lakhous, who holds a Degree in Philosophy

from the University of Algiers and a PhD in
cultural anthropology from the Sapienza
University in Rome, is the author of three
books, two of which written both in Italian
and Arabic. As he said, he likes to write
both versions on his own because he can
arabize Italian and italianize Arabic.
His fourth novel has just been released
by the Roman publishing house Edizioni
e/o, with the title Contesa per un maialino
italianissimo a San Salvario, which can be
roughly translated as Fight for a very Italian
pig in San Salvario. The book is set in the
Turins intercultural neighborhood of San
Salvario and revolves around the character
of Enzo Lagan, a detective who finds
himself involved a mystery: his Nigerian
friends pig was dragged into the citys
mosque and nobody seems to know who
did it and why.
Lakhous books explore the dynamics of
multiculturalism in Italy, a country where
migration is quite a new phenomenon. He
intends to open a discussion about the
relationship between Italians and migrants,
something which has never come easily.
When it comes to talking about the human
fear towards the Other, Lakhous has a
very precise idea: He who fears the other,
is actually afraid of himself.
Unfortunately, the situation does not seem
to have improved much since Lakhous, in
2006, published his first book, translated
in English as Clash of civilizations over

05

www.adbookfair.com

an elevator in Piazza Vittorio (the Piazza

Vittorio is the center of the multicultural
community in Rome). Speaking on Friday
as part of the Professional Program of the
ADIBF, Lakhous said he is confident about
possible improvements: It is true, there is a
short-circuit between Italians and migrants.
The first do not accept the latter, but at the
same time they hire them as maids and
nannies. This schizophrenia can be solved,
but it needs work.

AlgerianItalian author
Amara Lakhous
uses his novels
to confront
Italys
xenophobia
This fourth book is the last leg of Lakhous
literary project devoted to exploring the
new and multicultural Italian society. The
writer is already working on the next novel
whose main theme will be the Gypsies,
another hot debated issue in a country that
should look ahead and promote cultural
diversity and integration but instead seems
to withdraw into itself, maybe afraid to see
in the mirror its other Self.

05

Beware of Virtual Happiness,

says Prominent Emirati

His Excellency, Dr Jamal

Sanad Al-Suwaidi,
Director General of
the Emirates Centre
for Strategic Studies
and Research drew
a large crowd at his
signing session for his
intriguing book From
Tribe to Facebook: The
Transformatinoal Role of
Social Networks.

The study contains some telling

observations about social media.
Dr Jamal cites a loss of desire for
self-improvement, and writes:
the breath of cyberspace and the
growing potential of social networks
may lead the individual to lose any
personal aspiration or desire for a
better life brought on by a condition
called virtual happiness. Constant
communication with others does not
allow the user the opportunity for
self-evaluation; instead, his desire
to remain as he is increases and he
views his life through the prism of
virtual satisfaction.

timeItshereour first
and

our main aim is

to reach out and
build relationships
with international
publishers and
distributors. We
have had many
people on the stand
looking at books on
tourism, culture,
literature and
Nepalese life.
06

www.adbookfair.com

fair.ItsWeouthavefiftha

Likhat Prasad Pandey, Secretary General,

National Booksellers and Publishers
Association of Nepal

Ailsa Jing, Director, Human Resources,

China Universal Press & Publication
Company, Beijing

meeting with a
Dubai publisher
who is interested
in buying rights
to four or five
titles from China
Intercontinental
Press and
Sino-Culture
Press, so were
pleased.

23rd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

24 - 29 April 2013

Syrian Illustrator Gulnar Hajo

Lives Her Dream Job
by Chip Rossetti

Dont be
in a hurry
for success or
fame. They will
come in their
time.

For many people with

artistic ability, drawing
is simply a personal
interest, or at most a
hobby pursued during
free hours. But despite
the odds, it is possible
to make a career as an
illustratorprovided
you have the talent,
the passion, and the
motivation to do it
professionally.
On Saturday
afternoon, Syrian
artist Gulnar Hajo
spoke about her
own experiences
as an illustrator of
childrens books,
in the Illustrators
Corner, offering useful
advice on training
and professional
opportunities for
illustrators. (She
appeared alongside
Malaysian illustrator
Nor Emila Mohd
Yousof, author of the
childrens books My
Mothers Garden and
My Mothers Kitchen.)

07

www.adbookfair.com

Born in Damascus to a Kurdish family, Hajo

studied painting at Damascus University
and since 2004 has illustrated over twenty
childrens books. Along with her husband,
Samer Al Kadery, she is the founder of
Bright Fingers Publishing, a Damascusbased childrens publishing house with
a backlist of 130 titles. Her most recent
childrens book, Ana wa-l-Ana (with the
English title of Me and My EgoA Heavy
Weight), won the Sharjah Prize for Best
Childrens Book on Thursday. With its
deceptively childlike line drawings, it tells
the story of a boy who likes to do things by
himself and doesnt like to share. His ego
weighs on his back like a heavy burden
and gradually shrinks as he learns to make
friends.
While Hajos professional career remains
consistent, the situation in Syria over the
last two yearswhere a brutal civil war has
pitted a Syrian national uprising against
the entrenched regime of president Bashar
al-Assadhas disrupted her personal life:
after attending the Abu Dhabi International
Book Fair last year, Al-Kadery and Hajo did
not return to Damascus, but flew instead
to Amman, Jordan, where they joined their
children and where they have lived ever
since.
Speaking of her own artistic influences,
Hajo cites her admiration for the Egyptian
illustrator Bahjat Uthman, adding, I like the
style of French illustrators, and the Iranian
style, too. As for would-be professional
illustrators, she advises them to not to
focus too much on the trappings of a career
at first: Dont be in a hurry for success or
fame. They will come in their time. In the
meantime, they should work every day,
even if its just for an hour. Equally key
for illustrators is to be artistically distinct:
You have to have your own artistic identity.
Choose your style and develop it. And she
offers would-be illustrators the following
piece of wisdom: You will never leave
you job as an illustrator. Or rather, it never
leaves you.

23rd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

24 - 29 April 2013

Illusrtration of the Day: Emila Yusof

www.adbookfair.com

08

05

.


.

08

www.adbookfair.com

:




.




.

:




.






.

.

.

.


.


24-29

.

.






.


.


.


.





.

2013
29 - 24

( 800 2220 : )+971 2 4145000

ngalarabiya.com

( )

subscriptions@ngalarabiya.com :

05

23

(
)
26 2013



()

(
..
).

( )


( ) 1959
( )
1979

1983
( )
.1988 (
) ( ) ( )




.

06

www.adbookfair.com

1967





.

( ..
)

.


:

.



:

.

:

.

:


24-29

.


()

()

.
:

(
)
( )
()

05

www.adbookfair.com

()

.

.
()

()

()

() 218
163
54

.

:



( )





.

.

60
20













.

()





.

05

()

()

.


25 28
()

.

()
.
()
:

(
)

()











.

04

www.adbookfair.com

:





.

(
)

.





.

()




() 100


.









.


()

.



:


24-29

2013

23

03

www.adbookfair.com

.









.








.


.

.



.









.








.



.

23 .







2010



2008



.











.






..











.

05

2013

24

1999
()



.

02

www.adbookfair.com

.

.

.

.










.

"

"


.

.


.
" "






.
" "

.
"

".

05

05

29
24-

.



.











.

.




.

2013
.





.




.

| 22:00 - 09:00 22:00 - 16:00

.




.

| www.adbookfair.com

2013

01