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Azazel, by Youssef Ziedan
From March 03, 2014 until March 18, 2014
Presentation of the novel and the Turner Kitab book collectionMarch 11, 2014 – MADRID
The Turner publishing house, recently awarded with the prize for the Best Cultural Publishing Work in 2013, started up its new Turner Kitab book collection in October of last year, dedicated to contemporary Arab fiction. This project is based on the goal of bringing the rich literary universe of one of the cultures with the greatest traditions of narrative closer to Spanish-speaking readers.
As a part of this collection, the Turner publishing house is presenting the book Azazel, by Egyptian author Youssef Ziedan, on Tuesday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. in our Madrid auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). Participating in the event, in addition to the author, are César Martínez-Useros, Turner’s publishing coordinator, and Gonzalo Fernández Parrilla, advisor for the Turner Kitab collection. Presenting the event will be Nuria Medina, coordinator of Casa Árabe’s area of Culture and New Media.
The presentation will be given in Spanish and Arabic with simultaneous translation into Spanish. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
As a part of this collection, the Turner publishing house is presenting the book Azazel, by Egyptian author Youssef Ziedan, on Tuesday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. in our Madrid auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). Participating in the event, in addition to the author, are César Martínez-Useros, Turner’s publishing coordinator, and Gonzalo Fernández Parrilla, advisor for the Turner Kitab collection. Presenting the event will be Nuria Medina, coordinator of Casa Árabe’s area of Culture and New Media.
The presentation will be given in Spanish and Arabic with simultaneous translation into Spanish. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
About the Novel
Azazel allows us to get a look at the controversial reconstruction of one of the decisive moments in Western civilization: the uprise of the Church as an institution of power. This configuration, formed during the whirlwind of corruption and fanaticism which swept through in the fifth century, did away with the possibility of a different religion.
Hipa, an anguished and unsteady monk and physician who draws us into the story, goes on a trek across North Africa and the Middle East which will not only become a journey of self-awareness, but will also allow him to become a direct witness of this very cruel era and delve further into its zealotry. The fiery speech of Cyril, the condemnation of Nestorius, the torture and death of Hypatia, ignorance as a path towards violence, the hysteria of an entire society: it all makes up the landscape of a time as disturbing as it is fascinating, which Ziedan describes starkly with masterful evocativeness.
About the Author
Youssef Ziedan, born in Sahog, Egypt in 1958, is a respected university professor who specializes in Arab and Islamic studies, but above all he has received recognition for his work as the director of the Center of Manuscripts at the Library of Alexandria. In addition to his prolific work as a History scholar, he has also produced work as a columnist for several Egyptian newspapers and authored fictional works. In 2009, he was awarded with the International Prize for Arabic Fiction for Azazel.
About the Collection
The Turner Kitab collection came into existence with the works The Oasis by Egypt’s Bahaa Taher, and The Druzes of Belgrade, by young Lebanese writer Rabee Jaber. It is currently preparing the publication of works by Sinan Antoon, Mohammed Achaari and Jabbour Douaihy. They form a heterogeneous but virtuous group of writers with a well-established set of works translated into several languages, though most remain unpublished in Spanish, all of whom have received awards or have been finalists in the International Prize of Arabic Fiction (IPAF).
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