Reza Aslan - Tablet and Pen, A New Anthology of Literature from the Middle East
VIEW EVENT DETAILSIn association with ASMA Society, ArteEast, IAAC, and SAJA
"It is our hope that this book can go some way toward providing a new paradigm ... the poems and stories in this collection may help move our consciousness of the region away from the ubiquitous images of terrorists and fanatics and toward a new, more constructive set of ideas and metaphors'wrought by the regions' own artists, poets, and writers."'Reza Aslan
Reza Aslan, best-selling author of No God but God, introduces Tablet and Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East, his new anthology spanning the years 1910-2010 and showcasing the tumultuous changes in literary culture across the Middle East and South Asia, ranging from the renaissance of Arabic literature to Urdu writing after Partition. Included are familiar names such as Khalil Gibran, Orhan Pamuk, and Naguib Mahfouz, as well as many extraordinary writers and works that have never before been translated into English.
Readings and musical renditions from the book will follow, by such special guests as Ajay Naidu, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Kiran Ahluwalia, Rez Abbasi, Zafar Tawil, Tara Bahrampour, and Azra Raza, among others.
Followed by a discussion between Reza Aslan and Christopher Merrill, writer and Director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa.
A "Words Without Borders" anthology.
Followed by a book sale and signing.
A Creative Voices of Islam in Asia project, made possible by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
Watch video clips
Join the discussion: Can the arts really make a difference in changing people's perceptions of the modern Muslim world?
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Can't make it to this program? Tune in to the free live video webcast on AsiaSociety.org/Live from approximately 6:30 to 8:00 pm ET.