Best African & Middle Eastern Literature Books of 2025

Wilson Cook Avatar
Wilson Cook
Last Updated: May 12, 2023

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African and Middle Eastern Literature books offer a glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of these regions. These books range from classic works by authors like Chinua Achebe and Naguib Mahfouz to contemporary works by emerging writers such as Yaa Gyasi and Hoda Barakat. They cover a wide range of themes, from political and social issues to personal struggles and triumphs. These books are a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the diverse and complex cultures of Africa and the Middle East.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

African Literatures as World Literature Cover#TOP 1
African Literatures as World Literature
ftb score rating icon9.8
Abortion Ecologies in Southern African Fiction: Transforming Reproductive Agency (Critical Interventions in the Medical and Health Humanities) Cover#TOP 2
Abortion Ecologies in Southern African Fiction: Transforming Reproductive Agency (Critical Interventions in the Medical and Health Humanities)
ftb score rating icon9.7
Short Stories in Arabic for Intermediate Learners (Teach Yourself) Cover#TOP 3
Short Stories in Arabic for Intermediate Learners (Teach Yourself)
ftb score rating icon9.5

Top 10 African & Middle Eastern Literature Books

African Literatures as World Literature

Fyfe, Alexander
Krishnan, Madhu
Beebee, Thomas Oliver
Dec 1, 2022
African Literatures as World Literature Cover
African Literatures as World Literature
ftb score rating icon9.8
FTB Score

This book titled "African Literatures as World Literature" is a collection of essays that explores how African literatures engage with conceptualizations of 'the world' in relation to local social and political issues. It covers a wide variety of geographic, historical, and linguistic contexts, seeking answers to questions such as the topographies of 'the world' in different literary texts and the boundaries and possibilities of the world. The book provides a brilliant, innovative interpretation of literary texts and textual histories, making it an exciting volume that recalibrates the study of world literature from the rich ensemble that is African letters. Overall, it is a well-researched and conceptually ambitious book that does important theoretical work that speaks to the core of world literary studies today.

#TOP 2

Abortion Ecologies in Southern African Fiction: Transforming Reproductive Agency (Critical Interventions in the Medical and Health Humanities)

Stobie, Caitlin E.
Murray, Stuart
Saunders, Corinne
Park, Sowon
Woods, Angela
Feb 9, 2023
Abortion Ecologies in Southern African Fiction: Transforming Reproductive Agency (Critical Interventions in the Medical and Health Humanities) Cover
Abortion Ecologies in Southern African Fiction: Transforming Reproductive Agency (Critical Interventions in the Medical and Health Humanities)
ftb score rating icon9.7
FTB Score

Caitlin Stobie's "Abortion Ecologies in Southern African Fiction" is a compelling book that explores how four southern African women writers address the ethics of abortion and reproductive choice. The book challenges conventional understandings of development, growth, and time and argues that these authors exceed current feminist revivals of materialist thought. Stobie's study advances the concept of reproductive agency, creating a range of queer ecocritical alternatives to tropes such as those of 'the Mother Country', 'Mother Africa', or 'the birth of a nation'. This book is an essential read for students and researchers in the medical humanities, new materialisms, and postcolonial studies.

#TOP 3

Short Stories in Arabic for Intermediate Learners (Teach Yourself)

Richards, Olly
Teach Yourself
Jul 21, 2020
Short Stories in Arabic for Intermediate Learners (Teach Yourself) Cover
Short Stories in Arabic for Intermediate Learners (Teach Yourself)
ftb score rating icon9.5
FTB Score

Short Stories in Arabic for Intermediate Learners by Teach Yourself is a collection of eight captivating short stories designed to help low-intermediate to intermediate level students progress confidently in their language learning journey. The book includes a variety of genres, from science fiction to crime, and features controlled language at the reader's level, authentic spoken dialogues, and accessible grammar. The stories also come with a glossary, full plot summary, bilingual word list, and comprehension questions. Overall, this book is an excellent resource for Arabic learners looking to improve their vocabulary and reading skills while having fun.

#TOP 4

Islam and New Directions in World Literature

Bin Tyeer, Sarah R.
Gallien, Claire
Einboden, Jeffrey
Nov 29, 2022
Islam and New Directions in World Literature Cover
Islam and New Directions in World Literature
ftb score rating icon9.3
FTB Score

Islam and New Directions in World Literature is a groundbreaking book that explores the presence of Islamic literary and cultural heritages in world literatures. This book examines the orientalist versions and usages of Islam as well as the presence of Islam as a discursive and creative tradition. It considers Islam as an agent in the history of World Literature and understands Islamicate as an aesthetic and critical force. This book is a significant contribution to religious literature criticism books and highly recommended for those interested in the subject.

#TOP 5

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Maureen Gallery Kovacs
Stanford University Press
Aug 1, 1989
The Epic of Gilgamesh Cover
The Epic of Gilgamesh
ftb score rating icon9.1
FTB Score

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a masterpiece of ancient literature that recounts the adventures of a hero-king of ancient Mesopotamia, exploring themes of human nature, loneliness, love, and the fear of death. This verse translation by Kovacs is engaging and satisfying, providing historical context and photographs of Mesopotamian art and clay tablets. The difficulty of the translator's task is demonstrated in the incompletely reconstructed tablet. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in classic literature and ancient history.

#TOP 6

Thinking Goes to School: Piaget's Theory in Practice

Furth, Hans G.
Wachs, Harry
Oxford University Press
May 22, 1975
Thinking Goes to School: Piaget's Theory in Practice Cover
Thinking Goes to School: Piaget's Theory in Practice
ftb score rating icon9.1
FTB Score

"Thinking Goes to School: Piaget's Theory in Practice" proposes a way to prepare children to develop their full potential as 'thinking' human beings. The book describes activities or 'games' that provide a general foundation to help children deal successfully with specific academic subjects. The book is published by Oxford University Press, USA and falls under the category of Middle Eastern Literature Books. The author's Additional Thoughts add depth to the ideas presented in the book. Overall, this book is a valuable resource for parents and educators who want to foster critical thinking skills in children."

Caribbean Poetics: Toward an Aesthetic of West Indian Literature

Torres-Saillant, Silvio
Nov 13, 1997
Caribbean Poetics: Toward an Aesthetic of West Indian Literature Cover
Caribbean Poetics: Toward an Aesthetic of West Indian Literature
ftb score rating icon8.9
FTB Score

Caribbean Poetics by Torres-Saillant is a comprehensive study of West Indian literature written in European languages. The book explores the cultural discourse of the region by analyzing the recurring themes and formal devices used by literary artists over the last six decades. The book also sheds light on the works of Pedro Mir from the Dominican Republic, Kamau Brathwaite from Barbados, and René Depestre from Haiti, highlighting the aesthetic autonomy of the region's literary tradition. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history and criticism of African literature.

#TOP 8

Kalila and Dimna

Munshi, Nasrullah
Thackston, Wheeler
Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Sep 2, 2019
Kalila and Dimna Cover
Kalila and Dimna
ftb score rating icon8.7
FTB Score

This animal tale book, Kalila and Dimna, is a fascinating translation of a 12th-century Persian version of an 8th-century original Arabic rendition. The stories about various animals, including cats, mice, storks, crabs, princes, and ascetics, serve as cautionary illustrations of human predicaments and vices. The dialogues are engaging and dramatic, even for a modern-day reader. The book is not just for children, but it also contains advice on how to preserve oneself from enemies and get ahead in life. The translation by Wheeler M. Thackston is elegant and idiomatic, making it enjoyable for students, scholars, and general readers. Highly recommended for those interested in world literature and cultural exchange.

#TOP 9

Writing the Ottomans: Turkish History in Early Modern England (Early Modern Literature in History)

Ingram, Anders
Palgrave Macmillan
Aug 6, 2015
Writing the Ottomans: Turkish History in Early Modern England (Early Modern Literature in History) Cover
Writing the Ottomans: Turkish History in Early Modern England (Early Modern Literature in History)
ftb score rating icon8.6
FTB Score

Writing the Ottomans: Turkish History in Early Modern England examines the historical writing on the Turks in England from 1480-1700. It delves into the evolution of this discourse and its influence on English perceptions of the Ottoman world, exploring its religious, political, economic and print contexts. The book analyzes the impact of English authors on the Ottoman Empire and Anglo-Ottoman trade and diplomacy throughout the seventeenth century. Overall, this Middle Eastern Literary Criticism book is a comprehensive analysis of the English perspective on the Ottoman Empire during the early modern period.

#TOP 10

The Worlding of Arabic Literature: Language, Affect, and the Ethics of Translatability

Stanton, Anna Ziajka
Apr 25, 2023
The Worlding of Arabic Literature: Language, Affect, and the Ethics of Translatability Cover
The Worlding of Arabic Literature: Language, Affect, and the Ethics of Translatability
ftb score rating icon8.5
FTB Score

The Worlding of Arabic Literature: Language, Affect, and the Ethics of Translatability is a timely and thought-provoking investigation into the ethics of translating Arabic literature into English. The book argues that ethical translation is one that transmits the literariness of the source text through a range of embodied and sensory effects. Drawing on Arabic aesthetic and linguistic theory as well as contemporary scholarship in affect theory, translation theory, postcolonial theory, and world literature studies, this book offers a new model of translation ethics that opens up previously unrecognized modalities of worldliness in the source text. This book is a must-read for scholars and students of Middle Eastern literary criticism and translation studies.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the literature in the Middle East?

Arabic literature (Arabic: الأدب العربي / ALA-LC: al-Adab al-'Arabī) is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is Adab, which is derived from a meaning of etiquette, and which implies politeness, culture and enrichment.

Editor's Notes

During our african & middle eastern literature book research, we found 1,000+ african & middle eastern literature book products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 5,620 customer reviews through our big data system to write the african & middle eastern literature books list. We found that most customers choose african & middle eastern literature books with an average price of $61.03.

Written by
Wilson Cook Avatar

Wilson Cook is a talented writer who has an MFA in creative writing from Williams College and has published more than 50 books acquired by hundreds of thousands of people from various countries by now. He is an inveterate reading lover as he has read a vast amount of books since childhood.