Our tears will not dry
THEY murdered a flower
but not her fragrance
nor her colours

...

A Lebanon full of great people and associations that make the country go forward. This is what the 400 pages of Positive Lebanon are all about, a plunge into the multitude of initiatives launched by civil society for a better life in a country plagued by a thousand difficulties.

Ataol Behramo?lu, one of the leading Turkish poets and political critics, had an anthology of his poems translated into Italian for the first time. In an interview with Babelmed, Behramo?lu says poetry is “the common language of humanity” and can help bring people from different countries together.

Mashallah News, in collaboration with the designers from AMI, published in March 2014 a book about Beirut, mixing narration and photography. Beirut Re-Collected, or in French Beyrouth, chroniques et détours, was published by Tamyras, the Lebanese publishing house.

French historian shed light on Middle Ages and “changed the way we deal with history” has passed away at the age of 90.

First of all, do not be overwhelmed by this encyclopedia of 1200 pages, because while on the one hand this “history of relations between Jews and Muslims, from its origins to the present day” constitutes a colossal-sum, on the other hand it is a tumultuous journey of knowledge. Interview with Benjamin Stora, co- director of the work.

Everywhere TVs, radios and computers were on almost day and night for months, eclipsing all other windows. Facebook pages, videos on cell-phones, Twitter messages captured our whole attention...

Professor at the University of Montreal, linguist, philosopher, anthropologist, Alexis Nouss been exploring the notions of multiculturalism and interculturalism in art for several years. He is the author of several books and reference articles on the subject. Its design is that of a multiculturalism respecting differences in a collective project.

The Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival was held from the 30^th of August to the 1^st of September. Entitled “Dieta kontra l-Kri?i” (Crisis Fare), this year’s edition focused on the economic and social crisis with an allusion to the easy discourse about the Mediterranean diet. Babelmed is publishing a series of interviews that the TV guide of the Times of Malta held with some of the festival’s participants coming from different Euro-Mediterranean countries questioning mainly the role of a writer in a crisis.

In this second series of interviews, journalist Stanley Borg for the Times of Malta goes on questioning writers, poets and translators coming from Spain, Malta, Greece, Libya and Syria on the current social and economic crisis in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

The Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival was held from the 30^th of August to the 1^st of September. This year’s edition focused on the economic and social crisis. Series of interviews held by Stanley Borg for the Times of Malta with some of the festival’s participants coming from different Euro-Mediterranean countries.

Maltese poet Adrian Grima talks to acclaimed British Palestinian writer Selma Dabbagh who participated at the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival last September 2012.

Greek short story and screenwriter Kallia Papadaki speaks to Teodor Reljic, journalist at the Malta Today about literature and the recession. She was invited to the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival– which focused on the effects of the economic recession.

The Catalan writer Marina Espasa, was invited among the many international authors visiting Malta as part of the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival, which focused on the global economic recession. Interview by Teodor Reljic, Malta Today.

As a novelist and a poet, Hasan Ali Topta? fearlessly plays around with time and place. His first novel, Bir Gülü?ün Kimli?i, was published in 1987 and he has continued his literary adventure ever since, with works translated into many languages.

Well before the Syrian uprising, Samar Yazbek was challenging the existing taboos of Syrian society in her novels. Since the early days of the revolution, she was involved in the pro-revolutionary movements on the ground, despite the daily threats she was submitted to. Mashallah News met with her in Paris where she currently lives in exile.

The 7th Edition of the annual Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival will be held on the 30-31 August, 1 September, Msida Bastion Historic Garden, Floriana, Malta 8.00pm.

In Ramallah, Running, writer, essayist and critic Guy Mannes-Abbott represents his unique encounter with Palestine. The book features interweaving short, condensed texts with longer, exploratory essays. International artists and prominent writers have responded to the texts with newly commissioned works.

In “The Literary Atlas of Cairo”, a series of representations of Cairo in Arabic literature of the twentieth century, Samia Mehrez presents a literary topography combining the social, cultural, political and urban history of the Arab megalopolis.

Parisienne d’adoption, Elizabeth Grech a grandi au milieu de la Méditerranée, éprise de la langue maltaise, elle a traduit plusieurs recueils de poésies vers le français. Entretien.

Albert Gatt gives us a review of European Union Prize for Literature winning book In the Name of the Father and of the son, written by Maltese poet and author, Immanuel Mifsud. The novel has been translated by the Albert Gatt.

Frustrated residents and orientalist perspectives may lead you to think that no one is actually from Amman. Nonetheless, a different reality is discovered when gathering bits and pieces of the story of the city.

The earth shook as a giant’s feet trampled the peaceful city, destroying it utterly, till it vanished into the depths of the earth. Thousands living in this city had fallen victim to the disaster, while others had managed to escape by fleeing, terror-stricken, in all directions.

Albert Gatt interviews novelist and journalist R. Y. Kassab on the occasion of his guest appearance at the 6th edition of the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival. He talks about freedom, writing, and the demise of grand narratives

Interview of Mohamed Salah Omri, writer and Oxford University lecturer participating in the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival taking place on the 8, 9, 10th September.

From Sonallah Ibrahim to Mohammed al-Fakharani, to Mohammed el-Bisat and Alaa al-Aswani, writers were part of the pre-revolutionary ferment of the past ten years.

International Hrank Dink Foundation is organizing the second edition of the ‘Films about Conscience’ project, a short film competition open to amateur and professional directors from all over the world

A special book in English and Italian result of a collaboration between the French photographer Sopie Bachelier and the Senegalese Boubacar Boris Diop and the Italian Nando della Chiesa, two determined politically committed intellectuals.

The 40th Issue of Banipal- Magazine of Arab Mordern Literature celebrates Libyan fiction. At this great period of change, uprisings and revolutions across the Arab world, this issue presents Libya’s foremost and emerging fiction writers.