Youssef Rakha
Youssef Rakha is an Egyptian novelist, essayist, and poet who writes in both Arabic and English. Born, raised, and based in Cairo, he graduated from Hull University in 1998, and has worked as a cultural journalist, literary translator, and creative writing coach. He is the founding editor of the bilingual website the Sultan’s Seal: Cairo's coolest cosmopolitan hotel, named after his acclaimed first novel, The Book of the Sultan's Seal.
Reading List
[In the ledger buried in my breast]
Translated from Arabic by Robin Moger. From Rakha’s collection ولكن قلبي [And yet my heart], a series of prose poems in response to verses by 10th century poet Al Mutanabbi. of all the mountains I have crossed how many saw the mountains, too, in me? of all the seas, how many saw […]
[Forty-four years to learn]
Translated from Arabic by Robin Moger. From Rakha’s collection ولكن قلبي [And yet my heart], a series of prose poems in response to verses by 10th century poet Al Mutanabbi. I would the clouds which now are by me send their lightnings on to him who by him fall the tender rains […]