Middle East

The landmark poetry collection that transformed 20th-century Arabic poetry, in a brilliant new translation by Kareem James Abu-Zeid and Ivan EubanksWritten in the early 1960s by Adonis, 'the most eloquent...

TRANSLATED BY ANJALI SINGH Now in one volume, both parts of Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi's brilliant memoir-in-comic-strips about growing up in Iran during and after the Islamic revolution.The brilliant graphic memoir...

A timely and unprecedented examination of how the modern Middle East unravelled, and why it started with the pivotal year of 1979. Shortlisted for the Cundhill History Prize 2020 'What...

The international bestselling tale of love and loss in 1920s Berlin, now a Penguin Classics paperback'The pain of losing something precious can be forgotten over time. But our missed opportunities...

War and Settler Colonialism In the summer of 2014, Israel launched its most devastating offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip to date. Israel sealed its perimeters, expanded its buffer zones,...

From the author of the international bestseller Mornings in Jenin comes a powerful, passionate story of a family separated by conflict, and the tragedy they endure It is 1947, and...

*Shortlisted for the 2020 NSW Premier's Literary Awards Christina Stead Prize for Fiction* *Longlisted for the Voss Literary Prize 2020*'Vital, brutal and tender, The Palace of the Angels is written...

Translated from the Arabic by Luke Leafgren The follow-up to the internationally acclaimed The President's Gardens On the sixth day of Ramadan, in a land without bananas, Qisma leaves for...

A powerful, sweeping tale of faith, love and friendship set across Istanbul and Oxford.Peri, a wealthy Turkish housewife, is on her way to a dinner party at a seaside mansion...

Translated by Elisabeth Jaquette Shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, this is an electrifying new novel from contemporary Syria on life in a climate of fear In Damascus,...

The unforgettable, haunting story of a young woman's perilous fight for freedom and justice for her brother, the first novel published in English by a female Kurdish writerSet primarily in...

Translated by Marilyn Booth.An astoundingly powerful novella weaving together a series of devastatingly honest confessions, from a prize-winning Lebanese author.In an unnamed country torn apart by war, six strangers are...

Guide to Every City is a guide for a fictional city inhabited by insects. The three different species of insect in Ever City: hopsters, sloggers, and buzzies live segregated lives...

Poetry Book Society Wild Card Winner of the Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets. The Yemeni American poet Threa Almontaser’s incendiary debut asks how mistranslation can be...

A gripping tale of love, betrayal, and two clashing cultures, from the Booker-shortlisted author; now a Penguin Essential.'My mother died twice. I promised myself I would not let her story...

Dispatches from Bollywood, Dizi, and K-Pop There is a vast cultural movement emerging from beyond the Western world. Truly global in its range and allure, it is the biggest challenge...

A New York Times Notable Book of 2020: The story of an Iranian man reckoning with his capacity for love and evil.Set in Iran and New York City, Man of...

In this companion to the award-winning Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Darius suddenly has it all- a boyfriend, an internship, a spot on the soccer team. It's everything he's...

A rich and searing epic fantasy sequel set in ancient Arabia, Hafsah Faizal's We Free the Stars is the highly anticipated follow up to the New York Times bestselilng We...

My escape from Saudi Arabia to freedom In January 2019, then 18-year-old Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed escaped from her family while holidaying in Kuwait. She was fleeing systematic abuse of...

Translated by Donal McLaughlin Part Odyssey of the Persian Gulf and part 1001 Nights in Europe, this debut novel is drawn from the author’s experiences as a political prisoner and...

Two women. Two cultures. And a friendship that freed them both. ‘We don’t choose where we’re born. Geography ends up being everything.’ Shaimaa Khalil and Shelley Davidow met twenty years...

An authentic, indulgent collection of dessert recipes from across the Middle East, from one of the region's most loved home cooksWhether you start your day with something sweet, finish it...

Translated by Marilyn Booth An extraordinary novel from a 'remarkable' Booker Prize-winning author who has 'constructed her own novelistic form' (James Wood, The New Yorker) that follows one young Omani...

Life-changing wisdom from the popular Persian sage and poet “What a shame to finally reach the open sea but settle for a modest jug of water!" This is a collection...

Deliverance and Despair in IranBy 2013, Iranians were suffocating, as though the streets had become narrower, the buildings taller, the dirty air thicker. In electing Hassan Rouhani, they chose a...

A Girl Called Rumi, Ari Honarvar’s debut novel, weaves a captivating tale of survival, redemption, and the power of storytelling. Kimia, a successful spiritual advisor whose Iranian childhood continues to...

Translated by Leri PriceRima, a young girl from Damascus, longs to walk, to be free to follow the will of her feet, but instead is perpetually constrained. Rima finds refuge...

Essential Pocket ClassicsKahlil Gibran’s The Prophet is a timeless classic, a guiding light of spiritual fiction that has shaped the hearts and souls of readers since it was first published...

Lost and Found at GuantanamoAt the age of 18, Mansoor Adayfi left his home in Yemen for a cultural mission to Afghanistan. He never returned. Kidnapped by warlords and then...

Translated by Jonathan Wright WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR ARABIC FICTION A prize-winning horror novel from war-torn Iraq From the rubble-strewn streets of US-occupied Baghdad, the scavenger Hadi collects...

A History of Literacy, Learning and Educational RevolutionsIn this magisterial cultural history of the Palestinians, Nur Masalha illuminates the entire history of Palestinian learning with specific reference to writing, education,...

The Shah, the Opposition, and the US, 1953-1968The Shah's gradual transition to dictatorship after the 1953 coup in Iran, and its far-reaching consequencesIn this detailed political history of Iran from...

'I write scenes from life that the eye cannot see, as if I was trying to paint air or spirit.'Written from the perspective of an Iraqi soldier this is a...

Tales from my eleven-year-old life Translated by Sam Taylor Every week, the comic book artist Riad Sattouf has a chat with his friend's daughter, Esther. She tells him about her...

Translated by Susan MassottyA father-son tale set amid the tumultuous history of twentieth-century Iran, written by a masterful Iranian novelist in exile.When he was a boy, Aga Akbar, the illegitimate,...

Tales from my twelve-year-old lifeTranslated by Sam TaylorEvery week, the comic book artist Riad Sattouf has a chat with his friend's daughter, Esther. She tells him about her life, about...

The Life and Legend of an Iranian WriterThis biography of one of Iran's foremost 20th-century writers examines Hedayat's work in its political context. It explores the nature of Hedayat's influence...

A lead debut novel: a literary thriller about a pandemic, the rise of AI, and how — or why — we might save the human race A road trip beneath...

Shareable, Simple Arrangements for Every MealFeast upon more than 65 recipes for platters and boards, including dinner-worthy spreads, appetizers, breakfast, snacks, and more inspiration for anytime-eatingBoards and Spreads presents more...

A migrant’s search for belongingI carry my troubled homeland within me; I hide it like a crime.Growing up in conservative Saudi Arabia, Suad Aldarra felt stifled by the strictures placed...

Keeping Communities Together in Times of CrisisOffering international perspectives from leading scholars and activists, this volume examines the social and political impact of the pandemic on education, and explores how...

This story came to me and entered my soul. It did not need a key or an invite, for it already belonged. It walked in, shook my foundation and set...

A rich and searing epic fantasy debut inspired by ancient Arabia, Hafsah Faizal's We Hunt the Flame is a story of love, hate, magic and power. People lived because she...

The all-new collection of more than 100 crowd-pleasing recipes for everyday eating from the author of the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling cookbook Persiana. Designed to ensure maximum flavour with the...

A Band of Syrian Rebels, Their Underground Library, and the Stories that Carried Them Through a WarTranslated from the French by Lara VergnaudIn 2012 the rebel suburb of Daraya in...

Translated by Elisabeth Lauffer24 MUST-READ 2022 BOOKS IN TRANSLATION as selected by BOOK RIOTIt’s 2011 and the Arab Spring is in full bloom when the discovery of two bodies in...

Diversifying your bookshelf is hard, especially when you don’t know where to start. Luckily, we’ve got you covered with our Regional Book Boxes. Simply select a region you’d like to...

Hilarious and heartbreaking, this unforgettable novel is for anyone who's ever felt not good enough — then met a friend who makes them feel so much better than okay Darius...

Translated by Saward Hussain In 2015, a year after it started, Bushra al-Maqtari decided to document the suffering of civilians in the Yemeni civil war, which has killed over 200,000...