E’ più facile oppure, al contrario, è più difficile per le donne, per le scrittrici arabe riuscire a pubblicare un romanzo? Abeer Esber, scrittrice siriana, spiega che è più facile, in questi ultimi anni, ma sempre per i motivi sbagliati.
So, why are publishers drawn to Arab female writers? Sex appeal, of course: the idea that “taboos are being broken,” along with the notion—among Western publishers, lit-fair organizers, others—that one is subverting the “dominant Arab paradigm” by celebrating female authors. Youssef Bazzi details the same phenomenon in his essay in Banipal 36.
Says Esber: “Abdul Rahman Alawi, [her German publisher]…is only interested in working with female Arab writers.” Yes, one way or another—through stripping them of their hijab, or by publishing their books—”we” will save Arab/Muslim women!
Esber argues that she is not a “female writer,” but—for God’s sake—a “writer,” interested in the same subjects as men: lack(s) of democracy, lack of individuality, and the loss of dreams.
Come lo chiamate voi, orientalismo nuova maniera?
