Arab Evening at Frome Festival, Thursday 15 July

Last year’s innovative ‘Arab Evening’of readings, music, and delectable dishes all with an eastern flavour proved so popular there will be repeat helpings at Trinity Hall on Thursday 15th July!

Featured are two contributors to the prestigious Banipal Magazine of Modern Arab Literature which publishes contemporary authors and poets from all over the Arab world in English translation:

Ghalia Kabbani was born in Syria and lived in Kuwait until the invasion in 1990. She works as a journalist and has published three collections of short stories and a novel, A Woman’s Morning.

Hassan Abdulrazzak is an Iraqi playwright, best known for his highly successful play Baghdad Wedding , also renowned as an essayist and poet. He now lives in England and has been widely published, including in The Guardian, Edinburgh Review, and Snakeskin. He is currently working on the film adaptation of Baghdad Wedding and writing a second play about Iraq.

Music will be provided by oud player Khyam Allami,who this year was the first recipient of a BBC Radio 3 scholarship titled “World Routes Academy”. A dynamic young London-based musician of Iraqi descent, Khyam has been playing since the age of 8, moving from violin through drums and bass guitar to his present passion for the oud, the Arabic lute. He is currently completing a masters in Performance as Research at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

This event is an absolute don’t-miss for anyone with an interest in the wider world of literature and contemporary cultural interactions – early booking recommended.

L-R Ghalia Kabanni, Khyam Allami and Hassan Abdulrazzak