Rodaan Al Galidi's new novel: The Autist and the Homing Pigeon

At the age of seventeen, Janine got pregnant at a party in a shed. An accident. ‘The sex wasn’t unsafe,’ she always says, ‘just unpleasant’. Her son Gareth is an autistic genius. As her parent are extremely religious and she doesn’t know – or want to know – which of the boys in the shed was the father, she feels she has to be mother, father, grandmother, grandfather and an entire family for her child. Genius Gareth doesn’t realise he is an anchor for the ship that is her life. When his mother asks him if he is going to find a bedsit, he asks, surprised, ‘Is a bedsit big enough for both of us?’ The son doesn’t let go of the mother. His possession of Janine lasts thirty-seven years.
She works in the charity shop opposite where they live, where Gareth spends his evenings and days off. When Gareth becomes a famous violin maker, Janine tells him it’s time he left home. In his new house, where a pigeon fancier lived before him, a homing pigeon opens up the world for Gareth.
Every time Gareth advertises the cock-pigeon on the Internet, free of charge if you come and get him, he comes back, and so he keeps meeting new people. To make sure the pigeon doesn’t come back, he even takes it to the most southerly point of the country. But he comes back and changes Gareth’s life forever.

Banipal publishes Rachida Lamrabet and Rodaan Al Galidi

The theme of 35th issue of Banipal. Magazine of modern Arab literature is 'writing in Dutch'. The magazine features fragments from Rachida Lamrabet's novel Woman country and from Rodaan Al Galidi's novel Thirsty river.

Banipal is an independent literary magazine, based in London, publishing contemporary authors and poets from all over the Arab world in English translation. It's a magazine for lovers of literature, of world literature, to encourage a wider readership of Arab writers and poets for their own sake, and for both the particularity and the universality of their voices.

Rodaan Al Galidi and Marc Reugebrink nominated for the Gerard Walschap-Literature Prize

Rodaan Al Galidi’s Thirsty river and Marc Reugebrink’s The Big Delay are two of the nominees of this year’s Gerard Walschap-Literature Prize. The prize is meant to encourage young Dutch-speaking authors. Winner is to be announced this fall.

Earlier this year Al Galidi’s Thirsty river was the runner up for the BNG New Literature Prize. Reugebrink’s The Big Delay was the winner of the Gouden Uil Literature Prize 2008 and longlisted for the AKO Literature Prize.

The English translation of Thirsty River will be published by Aflame Books coming October. In September Meulenhoff | Manteau publishes new and exciting work by Rodaan Al Galidi, The autist and the dove.

Marc Reugebrink is working on a new novel, which is expected in 2010.

English rights Thirsty River (Rodaan Al Galidi) sold

(Portrait of Rodaan Al Galidi, who had a great week: a nomination for a major literature prize, a rights deal and the publication of The last slave, a new collection of his poems.)

English rights for Rodaan Al Galidi's epic novel Thirsty River are sold to Aflame books, a new English publisher of world literature. This English edition will also be distributed in the US, Canada and South-Africa.

Earlier this week Thirsty River was nominated for the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs.

Thirsty River is an amazing family epic. Al Galidi takes us to the heart of Iraq. The dreams, desires, traditions and experiences of a colourful Iraqi family are shaken up when Saddam comes to power. In Thirsty River Al Galidi follows the fate of this family untill after the death of the dictator.

Coming from Iraq, writer, poet and columnist Rodaan Al Galidi has lived in the Netherlands since 1998. His much-praised poetry collection The fall of Zorro was shortlisted for the prestigious VSB poetry award. And his new collection of poetry, The last slave, is even better. So, watch out for Rodaan Al Galidi.

Rachida Lamrabet and Rodaan Al Galidi shortlisted for the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs

(Cover of the Dutch version of Rodaan Al Galidi's second novel Thirsty river, nominated for the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs.)

Rachida Lamrabet and Rodaan Al Galidi have been shortlisted for the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs. This Dutch literature prize is awarded to authors under 40 who have written two or more works of prose.

Rachida Lamrabet is nominated for her second book, a collection of stories called A child of God. After publication Belgian magazine Knack immediately called this book 'a masterpiece'. Lamrabet's debut novel Vrouwland has already won this year's Flemish Debut prize and is in the running for the Dutch Academica debut prize. German rights for Vrouwland have been sold to Luchterhand Verlag.

Rodaan Al Galidi is nominated for his second novel, an amazing family epic called Thirsty river. The novel takes us to the heart of Iraq. The dreams, desires, traditions and experiences of a colourful Iraqi family are shaken up when Saddam comes to power. In Thirsty River Al Galidi follows the fate of this family untill after the death of the dictator. Thirsty River is literature at its best: giving voice to the unknown victims of history.

Coming from Iraq, writer, poet and columnist Rodaan Al Galidi has lived in the Netherlands since 1998. His much-praised poetry collection The fall of Zorro was shortlisted for the prestigious VSB poetry award. His new collection of poetry, The last slave, has been published this week.

The winner of the BNG Nieuwe Literatuurprijs is to be announced on January 15 in Amsterdam.