Fri, Oct 12
|Rethink Rebuild Society (Syrian Communit
Zakaria Tamer’s Short Stories
Syrian Modernity and the Struggle Against Authoritarianism with Dr. Alessandro Columbu
Time & Location
Oct 12, 2018, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Rethink Rebuild Society (Syrian Communit, Unit 7, Longsight Business Park, Hamilton Rd, Longsight, Manchester M13 0PD, UK
About the Event
The seminar will explore the life and oeuvre of the Syrian short story writer Zakariyya Tamer. Widely considered the father of the modern Syrian short story, Tamer’s works have influenced entire generations of Arab writers and readers. In his seminar, Dr Columbu will address Tamer’s trajectory both thematically and chronologically, and will read passages of his short stories to stimulate a discussion on modernity, gender roles and authoritarianism in contemporary Syrian literature.
Manchester-based actress Nadia Emam will read a selection of Tamer’s short stories (in English).
Dr Alessandro Columbu
Alessandro Columbu completed his PhD in modern Arabic literature at the University of Edinburgh in 2017, and is currently an Arabic language tutor at the University of Manchester. Originally from Sardinia, he obtained his BA and MA from the University of Bologna. He learnt Arabic in Damascus and Tunis and has studied at the University of Barcelona, SOAS and the French Institute of the Near East of Beirut and Amman. His translation of Zakaria Tamer’s Taksir Rukab, published in October 2015 by Condaghes, was the first book to have ever been translated from Arabic into Sardinian.
Nadia Emam
Nadia is a British-Egyptian actress who has worked with various theatre company such as Slug Low, Take Back and the Royal Exchange.