AVAILABLE RIGHTS

CATALOGUE 2011
 Utopia
Ahmed Khaled Towfik
»» A bestseller in Egypt now available across the Arab world
»» A gripping and visionary novel by a bestselling Arabic author
‘A wonderful novel, a real addition to Arabic literature’ Alaa Al Aswany
‘...a highly imaginative novel that has succeeded in injecting new blood
into the current [Arabic] literary scene’ The Daily News, Egypt
extent: 184 pages A grim futuristic account of Egyptian society in the year 2023, Utopia takes
Translation rights: BQFP readers on a chilling journey beyond the gated communities of the North Coast
Territory: World all languages, excluding where the wealthy are insulated from the bleakness of life outside the walls.
Arabic in Egypt When a young man and a girl break out from this bubble of affluence in order
to see for themselves the lives of their impoverished fellow Egyptians they are
confronted by a world that they had not imagined possible. Breathtaking and
suspenseful, Utopia’s twists and turns will keep readers guessing until the very
last page, and may leave some wondering whether this is a vision of the future
that is not too far away.
Ahmed Khaled Towfik was born in 1962 and is the Arab world’s most prominent
bestselling author of fantasy and horror genres. A medical professor at Egypt’s
Tanta University, he has written over two hundred books.
2 FICTION
Vertigo
Ahmed Mourad
»» A bestseller in Egypt now available across the Arab world
»» A compelling page-turner about life in contemporary Egypt
‘A novel deserving of applause’ Sonallah Ibrahim
‘It is a beautiful and exciting novel’ Osama Ghareeb, Al Masry Al Youm
Ahmed, a society photographer in a celebrated Cairo nightclub, witnesses a
friend horrifically killed in a fight between young business rivals. Forced to escape extent: pages
the scene of the crime and go into hiding, Ahmed is ensnared in a web of cover- Translation rights: BQFP
ups and crimes whose perpetrators will stop at nothing to hide. In this sprawling Territory: World all languages, excluding
political thriller, Ahmed is forced to confront ruthless players. It’s a game where Arabic in Egypt
the penalty for failure could be his life.
A tense thriller that exposes contemporary Egypt and Cairo’s seedy nightlife,
Vertigo has attracted critical acclaim and been reprinted several times in Arabic.
Born in 1978, Ahmed Mourad is a photographer, graphic designer and a novelist
who has won several awards for his short films. First published in 2007, Vertigo
is his first novel.
FICTION 3
 An Iraqi in Paris
Samuel Shimon
»» Long-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2007
»» Energetic, action-packed and wonderfully humorous
‘Startlingly funny ... always witty and humane’ Boyd Tonkin, The
Independent
‘Throughout this careening, fast-paced, episodic narrative, Shimon never
loses his poignant sense of humour. He consistently folds the absurdity
of political violence into the intimacy of human relations’ The Daily Star,
Lebanon
extent: 256 pages
Translation rights: BQFP ‘A forgiving and powerful book’ Times Literary Supplement
Territory: World English
‘ A cunningly iconoclastic storyteller... with a keenly cinematographic and
unflinching eye for detail... a relentless raconteur’ Anton Shammas
A young Iraqi writer sets out to become a Hollywood film-maker, only to
end up as a refugee on the streets of Paris where he beds down in a Metro
station. Although his dream of making a film about his deaf-mute father is never
realised, the extraordinary encounters he has with the likes of Jean-Luc Godard,
Samuel Beckett and a ghost from Père Lachaise Cemetery transform his own
story into a captivating drama more compelling than anything on the big screen.
Samuel Shimon is an Assyrian writer, filmmaker and publisher. Born in Iraq, he
left his country in 1979. He is the assistant editor of Banipal magazine. He lives
in London.
4 FICTION
The Tobacco Keeper
Ali Bader
»» Long-listed for the Arab Booker Prize 2009
»» Spans five decades of turbulent Middle East history
»» By one of Arabic literature’s rising stars
First published in Arabic in 2008, The Tobacco Keeper relates the investigation
of the life of a celebrated Jewish Iraqi musician who was expelled to Israel in
the 1950s. Having returned to Iraq, via Iran, the musician is thrown out as an
Israeli spy. Returning for the third time under a forged passport, he is murdered
in mysterious circumstances. Arriving in Baghdad’s Green Zone during the US-
extent: 256 pages
led occupation, a journalist writing a story about the musician’s life discovers an
Translation rights: BQFP
underworld of fake identities, mafias and militias. Even among journalists, there is Territory: World, all languages excluding Arabic
a secret world of identity games, fake names and ulterior motives.
This is a novel written as investigative journalism, including apparently authentic
sources, meticulously researched in Baghdad, Tehran, Istanbul and Damascus.
Ali Bader is an award-winning Iraqi novelist, essayist, poet, scriptwriter and
journalist who has written ten novels, several works of non-fiction and two poetry
collections. Author of Papa Sartre (AUC Press, 2009), he has also covered the
Middle East as correspondent for various newspapers. Ali Bader lives in Belgium.
FICTION 5
 Art of Forgetting How to Avoid Getting Killed in
A Guide for Broken-hearted Women a Warzone

Ahlam Mosteghanemi Rosie Garthwaite

extent 256 pages
Translation rights: BQFP
Territory: WORLD, all languages except Arabic
»» Pioneering work by a bestselling and award-winning female Arab »» Includes advice by over thirty leading journalists, including Rageh
author Omar and John Simpson
»» Will have an immediate appeal to all English-speaking women of Arab »» Will be supported by a major online, broadcast and print marketing
origin, as well as romantics everywhere and media campaign on publication
»» Already a bestseller in the Arab world »» More comprehensive and practical than the Worst Case Scenario
books, this will make an ideal gift for both women and men (unlike
The Art of Forgetting is an elegant, warm-hearted and astonishing meditation
The SAS Survival Guide and The Dangerous Book for Boys)
on love, damage, survival and restoration from an exhilarating stylist. As the title
suggests,The Art of Forgetting offers women advice on how to move beyond the ‘Rosie Garthwaite’s book is as informative as it is entertaining and as extenT: 208 pages
destructive men in their lives to a happier life. Full of wit and warmth, the author practical as it is well written. It deserves a place on the bookshelf or under Translation rights: BQFP
speaks from her heart and head at one and the same time. the backpack flap of everyone who has endured the ups and downs of Territory: WORLD, all languages

wanderlust and warzones’ Patrick Hennessey

Algerian novelist and poet Ahlam Mosteghanemi is the bestselling female author
in theArab world.Her first novel,MemoryintheFlesh (ZakiratalJassad) (1993)
was translated into English in 2000 after winning the 1998 Naguib Mahfouz
Prize. In 2006, Forbes magazine identified her as the most successful Arabic
writer of her time. She lives in Beirut.
Written by Rosie Garthwaite, whose career as a journalist started in war-torn
Basra, this book combines practical advice with contributions from journalists
and commentators, including Rageh Omar and John Simpson, who share their
experiences and advice on surviving in difficult and dangerous situations.
Topics include how to avoid being misunderstood; how to avoid bombs and
booby traps; how to escape from a riot; how to deal with frostbite and heat
exhaustion; how to avoid trouble in sex, love and war; and how to cope if you
have had a traumatic experience. The author conveys this wealth of practical,
sensible advice in a very direct and personal way.
Medical information has been vetted by Médecins Sans Frontières, one of the
world’s leading medical charities, which specialises in warzones and other trouble
spots. It will also receive a share of the royalties
Rosie Garthwaite is a TV journalist who works in the Middle East. She wrote
this book to provide the information that friends and colleagues travelling to
warzones and other extreme destinations were always asking her for. She began
her journalistic career as a freelance reporter in Basra, Iraq. She lives in Doha,
Qatar. This is her first book.

6 NON-FICTION FICTION 7
NON-FICTION
 The Battles of the Stories of the Caliphs
Prophet Muhammad The Early Rulers of Islam

Denys Johnson-Davies Denys Johnson-Davies

Illustrated by Ashraf Abdel Azim  Illustrated by Abdel Wahhab Bilal

»» Authorized by the Islamic Research Academy of El Azhar, Cairo »» Authorized by the Islamic Research Academy of El Azhar, Cairo
»» Unique illustrated retelling of the four most famous battles in the early »» Unique illustrated retelling of the stories of the early rulers of Islam
Islamic era
»» Features stories about Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ali ibn abi Talib,
»» Retells the action in a vivid and readable style that appeals to young Mu’awiya, Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, Al-Mahdi, Haroun al-Rashid, Al-
readers with an introduction by the author Ma’moun, Al-Mutawakkil and Al-Mu’tadid

Extent: 48 pages »» Bestseller since it was first published in Egypt
Translation rights: BQFP
‘[Denys Johnson-Davies is] the leading Arabic-English translator of our
Territory: World English, excluding Egypt
time’ Edward Said
Age: 8+ years
In the early years of Islam the Prophet Muhammad and his supporters faced
many challenges and threats. Even after leaving Mecca for the nearby town of
Medina, the Muslims were not safe from attack and had to fight several battles
to defend themselves. This book includes exciting accounts of four of the early
battles fought by the Muslims against their enemies.
Denys Johnson-Davies (Abdel-Wadoud) is one of the most important translators
of Arabic today. He was the first to translate Naguib Mahfouz, Tayeb Saleh, Tawfiq
al Hakim, Taha Hussein and Sonallah Ibrahim.
Ashraf Abdel Azim is an Egyptian illustrator who has also collaborated with Denys
Johnson-Davies on Stories from the Arab Past.
»» Bestseller since it was first published in Egypt extent: 48 pages
Translation rights: BQFP
‘[Denys Johnson-Davies is] the leading Arabic-English translator of our
Territory: World English, excluding Egypt
time’ Edward Said
Age: 8+ years
After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, there followed many leaders of the
Muslim world who were known as Caliphs. These successors to the Prophet
ruled – from Medina, Damascus and later from Baghdad – over an empire that
included a large part of the world. This book includes 27 stories from the lives of
the first Caliphs, from the very pious Umar ibn al-Khattab to Al-Mu’tadid
Denys Johnson-Davies (Abdel-Wadoud) is one of the most important translators
of Arabic today. He was the first to translate Naguib Mahfouz, Tayeb Saleh, Tawfiq
al Hakim, Taha Hussein and Sonallah Ibrahim.
Abdel Wahhab Bilal is an Egyptian illustrator who co-illustrated Festivals of Egypt
with Tim Loveless.

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