Marilyn Booth is a widely-acclaimed translator of Arabic literature into English. She has translated numerous award-winning books from Arabic literature and is known for her accurate and insightful translations.
- Marilyn Booth has been translating Arabic literature into English since the early 1990s.
- She has translated several classic and contemporary Arabic novels, short stories, and poetry collections, including Naguib Mahfouz's 'The Cairo Trilogy' and Abdul Rahman Munif's 'Cities of Salt'.
- Booth has also taught Arabic and comparative literature at several prestigious universities in the US, UK, and Middle East.
- In 2019, Booth won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Translation for her translation of Jokha Alharthi's novel 'Celestial Bodies'.
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A trilogy of novels by Naguib Mahfouz that follows the life of a Cairo family from 1917 to 1952, providing a sweeping view of Egyptian society during that period.
A novel by Abdul Rahman Munif that tells the story of a fictional Arab Gulf country and its encounter with Western oil companies in the 1930s, highlighting the impact of modernization and globalization on traditional Arab culture.
A novel by Jokha Alharthi that explores the history of Oman through the interconnected lives of three generations of women, examining themes of love, loss, identity, and social change.
Booth became interested in Arabic literature while studying comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley. She was struck by the richness and diversity of Arabic literature and wanted to share it with English-speaking audiences.
Booth's translations are known for their accuracy, readability, and sensitivity to the nuances of the source text. She is also known for her deep knowledge of Arabic literature and culture, which informs her translations.
Booth has translated several acclaimed works of Arabic literature, but her translation of Jokha Alharthi's 'Celestial Bodies' is perhaps her most well-known. The novel won the 2019 Booker International Prize, bringing both the author and the translator to wider international attention.
Translating Arabic literature involves a number of challenges, including differences in grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, as well as cultural and historical context. Translators must also navigate issues of dialect and register, particularly when translating works that use vernacular Arabic.
Booth has helped to bring Arabic literature to a wider audience and has contributed to a greater understanding of Arab culture and society. Her translations have won numerous awards and accolades and have helped to establish Arabic literature as a vibrant and important literary tradition.