Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Danielle Steel, Stephen King, top right, and Paolo Coelho rank among some of the best-selling authors of all time. (LEFT: Richard Drew/AP; TOP RIGHT: Elise Amendola/AP Photo; BOTTOM RIGHT: Matej Divizna/Getty Images/COMPO IMAGE)

Meet the Writers who Still sell Millions of Books. Actually, Hundreds of Millions.

by Karen Heller | Jan 2, 2017 | Lifestyle & Culture

Reading, contrary to previous reports, is not dead. In fact, it’s very far from it. Brazilian author Paulo Coelho has legions of readers. His best-known book, “The Alchemist,” the story of a young Andalusian shepherd on a personal quest, spent almost eight years — two...

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People look at books at the fifth Riyadh International Book Fair 2 March 2010. (Reuters/Fahad Shadeed)

Debate: The Arab world is not facing a publishing crisis

by Mohamed Hashem | Jun 30, 2013 | Debate

With regards to the issue of publishing in the Arab world, I do not believe that we are facing a publishing crisis; rather, we are facing a reading crisis. We are simply a society that does not like reading. The greater the demand for a product, the more this product...

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An Iranian clergyman speaks to a woman at his stall in Tehran’s 26th International Book Fair, at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, May 1, 2013.(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Debate: The Arab world is facing a publishing crisis

by Rana Idriss | Jun 30, 2013 | Debate

There can be no doubt that publishers in the Arab world are facing an acute crisis. The market has completely shut down, particularly in view of the consequences of the Arab Spring. This also includes the situation in Syria—and it is worth mentioning that the Syrian...

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Eiffel Tower in Paris.

A Man Out of Place

by Niloufar Dohni | Apr 16, 2013 | Lifestyle & Culture

On April 9, 1951, Sadegh Hedayat entered his rented apartment in Paris, plugged all the doors and windows with cotton, and then turned on the gas valve to liberate himself from all the wounds that had been gnawing on him in seclusion. Two days later, his body was...