Saqi Books

Saqi Books is an independent publishing house in London. Saqi Books was co-founded in 1984 by author and feminist Mai Ghoussoub[1] to publish academic and general interest books on the Middle East and North Africa. Saqi titles encompass different disciplines from politics, history and gender studies to culture, art and travel.[2] Prominent Saqi titles include Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline and A Concise History of the Arabs.[3]

More recently, Saqi Books launched two imprints: the Westbourne Press in 2012 [4] and Telegram in 2005.[5] The Westbourne Press is a non-fiction imprint that has published titles such as Reza Aslan's Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth,[6] Eric Berkowitz's Sex and Punishment: Four Thousand Years of Judging Desire [7] and Superman is an Arab by Joumana Haddad.[8] Maggie Gee's novel Virginia Woolf in Manhattan was published by Telegram in 2014.[9]

On its 21st Anniversary in 2004, The Independent praised Saqi for 'issuing titles that stimulate and challenge - books with "editorial audacity"'[10]

The Saqi Bookshop is located in central London on 26 Westbourne Grove. In 2008 Saqi Books held its 25th anniversary celebration at Kensington Town Hall featuring musician Brian Eno, Turkish author Moris Farhi and British author Maggie Gee.[1]

Saqi Books received the IPG Diversity Award in 2013 [11] and the Arab British Culture and Society award and the British Book Industry Award for Diversity in Literature in 2008 and 2009 respectively.[12]

Saqi Books' sister company Dar al-Saqi is based in Beirut, Lebanon.[13]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://thylemma.blogspot.com/2008/07/al-saqi-books-25th-anniversary.html
  2. ↑ http://www.visitlondon.com/attractions/detail/264581
  3. ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/syria-speaks-arts-andculture-from-the-frontline-ed-by-malu-halasa-zaher-omareen--nawara-mahfoud-9536431.html
  4. ↑ http://www.westbournepress.co.uk
  5. ↑ http://www.saqibooks.co.uk/about-us/telegram/
  6. ↑ http://www.saqibooks.co.uk/2013/07/westbourne-press-publish-zealot-life-times-jesus-nazareth-reza-aslan/
  7. ↑ http://www.thebookseller.com/news/saqi-books-launches-non-fiction-imprint
  8. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/sep/11/superman-is-an-arab-review
  9. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/22/virginia-woolf-in-manhattan-review-maggie-gee
  10. ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/cover-stories-saqi-books-jonathan-aitkens-book-deal-alistair-cookes-letters-559345.html[]
  11. ↑ http://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/UKSG/292/Independent-Publishing-Awards-2013/?n=121b8a3f-e721-4bc0-8354-7ad4d47f99de
  12. ↑ http://www.saqibooks.co.uk/about-us/
  13. ↑ http://www.daralsaqi.com

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