​

​Qualey, Marsha Lynx. Looking at the 2013 Longlist: Hoda Barakat’s ‘The Kingdom of this Earth’. Arabic Literature (in English). December 11, 2012. Web. 13 December 2012.

​       Arabic Literature (in English) is a blog about all the details of Arabic Literature, written in English. Extremely useful for any Arabic books, authors, literary news. This particular article is about her newest book "Kingdom of this Earth" but also includes details of Barakat's life as well as her feelings on her work. It includes several links to other interviews she has previously done. Excellent jumping off point.​​

 

Rakha, Youssef. Hoda Barakat: Starting Over. Al-Ahram weekly. 25 Nov.-1 Dec. 1999 issue no. 457. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

      If you are looking for a better understanding of Hoda Barakat and who she is as a writer this is a good place to start! The author of this piece uses excerpts from an interview with Hoda Barakat in which she is talking about why she writes in the style she does, why she moved to Paris many years ago, and many other interesting bits of information. Keep in mind though that this is a very general article, serves no other purpose than simply introducing you to the author. There is hardly a mention of specific texts, which is something I find problematic. Also at times the writer seems critical of her, which is interesting but somewhat useless. I will say though that the way the article is written makes the reader feel as though they are a participant in the conversation, instantly peeks your interest and gets you wanting to know much more about her.

​

 

Berrada, Mohamed. The Ordinary Prose of Life. Al-Ahram Weekly. 21-27 July 2005 Issue No.752. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

      This features a discussion and general summary of Barakat’s novel Sayidi wa habibi (My Master and My Lover). This is a good place get an idea of the types of things that Barakat writes about, how all they seem to connect characters to things happening in society, and ultimately why her stories have gained such popularity. She uses discussions of life, and why people live the way they do. Here is a little excerpt about the sort of idea’s Barakat discusses in her novels. “Leading him or her to question the meaning of existence and of a life that swings between noble intentions and aspirations and the crassness of everyday life with all its triviality and futility. This is a life that is divided between the fascination of words that eloquently idealize our lives and the ordinary prose of a mundane existence that clips our wings.”(Barakat, weekly.ahram.org). This site provides a lot of insight into Barakat’s style of writing, but does not give any biographical information on her.

​

 

Banipal Magazine of Modern Arab Literature. Hoda Barakat. Banipal Magazine. Unknown posted date. Web. 11 Nov. 2012

    This site offers a very brief summary of the career and successes of Hoda Barakat. If you are looking for something with a little more depth this is not the place to find it. What you will find here is just the bare minimum. A listing of her schooling, books, and awards. There is no elaboration, but you can find out about all the awards and things she has received on this site, and go from there!

​

 

Brian Whitaker. An Interview with Hoda Barakat. www.al-bab.com. Nov. 2004. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

      I would suggest checking this site out. This is an interview with Hoda Barakat in which she is asked many questions that readers who are curious about her would want to know the answers too. Things such as why her main characters are generally male, why she chooses to continue writing about her birth place instead of about her experience in France, and also why her characters can be so simple and mysterious all at once, and many more things that are essential to the understanding of Barakat as an author. There is little mention of specific dates and times associated with her career, but those can be found on the other cites listed here. This is a strong interview with a complex author, definitely check this site out!

​

Elisabeth, Marie. Woven Archives of Beirut: A Conversation With Hoda Barakat. Al Jadid Magazine. Vol. 8, no.39, Spring 2002. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

      Another interview with Barakat in which she discusses why she chose to write Woven Archives of Beirut. This is another good source for getting a feel for Barakat and her writing style. But not only that, for gaining insight into her way of thinking about the world in which she lived. I feel as though there could have been more questions asked by the interviewer, but ultimately this is a good source on Hoda Barakat, seeing as how half of it is in her own words.

​

 

​Finnegan'slist."Finnegan's List 20120 - Hoda Barakat." Youtube. Web. 1 Dec 2012.

      This particular interview is a video, in which you get to hear her speak of her book choices for the Finnegan’s List 2012, which is supported by the European Society of Authors and recognizes under translated works. While that may not seem of great importance initially, there is much to be learned about her here. The biggest thing you will notice is that she is speaking in Arabic, and talks about the fact that her books are initially written in Arabic, and then translated into English. She discusses the importance of translation, and where within the Arabic community it began. There are subtitles for this interview, so you definitely do not been to be fluent in Arabic to take a look at this! She talks about her relationship with her mother tongue, Arabic, and how she feels about it since moving to France. She also talks about how if she were to move back to Lebanon, it would be rather difficult for her. This video is a very good source, in that it allows you to put a face and a voice to this author. Creates for a much better understanding of her. Although the only bits that have actually info on her are in the very beginning, the rest is about her book selections, and gives info on those authors.