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Children's & YAFebruary 2014Red Line
by Samar Mahfouz BarrajIllustrated By: Mona Yakzan and Mira El-Myr
Mazen, a young boy, is one day surprised by their neighbor Bassam shouting with anger in the street “My parking spot is a red line!” Does this mean he plans to paint the street red, asks Mazen to his mother? The mother explains to Mazen that what Bassam means is simply that no one is to park in his place. The notion is still vague to Mazen: Why red? Does it have anything to do with red traffic lights? The mother tries again “When something is a red line, it means that it is off limits to others”. In this illustrated album, Samar Barraj boldly addresses the delicate issue of child sexual abuse. Acknowledging the complexity of the boundary it tackles, the book determines it through examples the mother and child raise in their conversation. Mazen’s spontaneous remarks and comments point out the difficulty of defining this red line, and make of the book a realistic example of such a conversation. The illustrations develop the notion further, by representing situations in which the red line might be crossed – one may be on his bicycle, at his computer, or approached by a respectable-looking old man in the street. The body parts are not named, but are represented in a naïve drawing Mazen made, though the text insists on the importance of preserving the body as a whole. The colorful images and constant presence of the mother and parents make of the book a reassuring experience despite the gravity of the topic.
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August 2022Altopía
1. La traición
by Barrientos, Alejandro; Cuevas, Joaquín
It is the year 2053 and El Alto celebrates its tenth anniversary as the capital of the New Kollasuyo. Metropolis of the Andes, continental scrap metal market, second-hand industrial engine, robotic garbage supply, recipient of Chinese colonies, host of technosophical cyber-religions, world headquarters of the cholet and the highest popular fair on the planet, the city of the future is the mirror of our dreams. Don't let them talk you out of it: the future is now!
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Humanities & Social SciencesNaguib Mahfouz Annuals: About Youth and Freedom
by Naguib Mahfouz
Religion is taught in schools as if a branch of science consisting of some Koranic verses, prophetic tradition (Hadith), creed, worships, and biography! Pupils usually study such items by heart, then they go to exam and forget all. Religion is neither a branch of science nor a branch of material knowledge. Religion is a spiritual education that had to be applied in society. It is felt in the way people behave or conduct. Sometimes we meet a clever pupil but he has bad manners! Another, may get high marks in religion but dismissed out of the school for his ill behaviors and bad manners. I believe that religion must be taught as a spiritual education surrounded by a sphere of sympathy and affection. It is something felt by heart, not studied by heart. Teachers have to adress minds to make pupils convinced. They have to teach them biography of the prophet and also of the orthodox Caliphs. They have to select Koran verses according to “the age and the need”. For example Koranic verses dealing with” prayers”, must be studied in an early stage. Then Koranic verses dealing with “fasting”. After that comes verses dealing with moral conducts. In an advanced stage or secondary school, students can study views, ideas, conceptions, visions and philosophy of Islamic eminent characters, as well as eminent characters of other religions. There is a sort of a deflagrated competition between different religions, though they are similar in concepts and attitudes. Also, rivalary between Islam and Western civilization, and communism, is considered. Western civilization has its own entity. It is an integral doctrine having its theories and applications. Western civilization admits human rights and free economy. It could achieve marvellous progress in different fields of life. At the other hand communism also has its own integral doctrine with a private philosophy, economy and ruling systems. It aspires equality between all people, regardless to their colour or race. As a matter of fact it could achieve marevellous progress in different fields of life. Islam stands in between those two different civilizations, trying to get up and rise after a long sleep in the darkness of stagnancy and retardation. Lately, Islam did not achieve adequate progress in fields like modern science, technology, and material power. But it didn’t surrender, because it is till standing as a civilization having its own historical dignity and tradition. But now it is working hard to compensate what it did lose and indemnify what has gone, without contradicting its message and entity.
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Children's & YAAugust 2017I Have Two Homes Instead of One
by Lorka SbeityIllustrated By: Mona Yakzan
“I am happy now, I have two homes instead of one. I visit my father in the village during the weekend. My mom reads me bedtime stories And I will not see her sad anymore.” The story targets a big part of any community nowadays; it deals with divorce from the children’s perspective. It shows the separation’s psychological damages on the child if not well approached. It facilitates the smooth and healthy acceptance of divorce for both parents and children.
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Literature & Literary StudiesJanuary 2013The world of El Cid
Chronicles of the Spanish Reconquest
by Simon Barton, Richard Fletcher
Makes available, for the first time in English translation, four of the principal narrative sources for the history of the Spanish kingdom of León-Castile during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Three chronicles focus primarily upon the activities of the kings of León-Castile as leaders of the Reconquest of Spain from the forces of Islam, and especially upon Fernando I (1037-65), his son Alfonso VI (1065-1109) and the latter's grandson Alfonso VII (1126-57). The fourth chronicle is a biography of the hero Rodrigo Díaz, better remembered as El Cid, and is the main source of information about his extraordinary career as a mercenary soldier who fought for Christian and Muslim alike. Covers the fascinating interaction of the Muslim and Christian worlds, each at the height of their power. Each text is prefaced by its own introduction and accompanied by explanatory notes.
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April 2022Doble vida
by Magnus, Ariel
Can anyone deceive the loved one in order to protect him or her from the cruel truth of love? Like broken magnets that first repel and then attract each other, the characters of this comical tragedy of entanglements swing between love and lovelessness, between fantasy and reality, between dream and wakefulness. In the confusion of these parallel lives, they stray into a diffuse reality that becomes clear when they all accept that they have deceived and been deceived. In his extensive and brilliant literary career, Ariel Magnus usually approaches from a marginal sector the crucial issues that are being debated in society. As if he had an antenna capable of capturing the sign of the times, but with a certain lag that makes him decode reality from the eccentric -in the sense of being out of the center- and, therefore, paradoxically, in a sharper, more forceful and notably more uncomfortable way. His style is recognizable in the marks of humor, absurdity, polysemy, logical contradictions.
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August 2023Klaus Babie
La ruta de la rata
by Bauer, Jean-Claude; Brremaud, Frédéric
Responsible for the death of hundreds of Jews and members of the resistance, including Jean Moulin, SS Klaus Barbie escaped justice and a double death sentence at the end of World War II. He exchanged his native Germany for South America, where he applied the same methods and even organized the coup d'état of the dictator Hugo Banzer. A true mercenary, nicknamed the Butcher of Lyon, he was finally identified and hunted down until 1987, the fateful year of his trial and conviction, unprecedented in France: life imprisonment for crimes against humanity.
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October 2002Die geraubte Mona Lisa
Spektakuläre Kunstdiebstähle von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart
by Manfred Reitz
Um das geheimnisvolle Lächeln der »Mona Lisa« ranken sich zahlreiche Gerüchte und Legenden. Das Gemälde war Anfang des vergangenen Jahrhunderts einmal gestohlen worden, und seitdem wird immer wieder behauptet, im Louvre würden sich beachtliche Besucherströme um eine Kopie und nicht um das Original versammeln.Die Pferde von San Marco in Venedig gelten noch heute als Diebesgut; und um den Verbleib des Bernsteinzimmers ranken sich noch immer zahlreiche Rätsel.Von solchen und anderen dramatischen und spektakulären Fällen von Kunstraub weiß Manfred Reitz spannend zu berichten.Kunst bereichert nicht nur den Menschen, sondern verkörpert häufig auch einen beträchtlichen finanziellen Wert. Der Kunstdiebstahl ist heute neben dem Rauschgift- und dem Waffenhandel das lukrativste kriminelle Geschäft. Von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart wurden deshalb Kunstwerke gestohlen, um die eigene Habgier zu befriedigen, um finanzielle Gewinne zu machen oder um einen Gegner zu demütigen.Manfred Reitz führt den Leser zu den Grabräubern der Antike, zu plündernden Söldnern des Mittelalters und zu den zahlreichen Kunsträubern der jüngeren Vergangenheit. Von Manfred Reitz sind im Insel Verlag außerdem erschienen: Leben jenseits der Lichtjahre. Die Wissenschaften auf der Suche nach außerirdischen Intelligenzen (1996 und it 2186); Große Kunstfälschungen. Falsche Kunst und echte Fälscher (it 1534)
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El andén de las incertidumbres (The platform of uncertainties)
by El Yaizd Dib
The book is about different short stories with a social focus about the real life in Argelia and its public servants as main characters, as well as their conflicts.
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Picture books, activity books & early learning materialEl espacio entre la hierba
by María José Ferrada, Andrés López
This book object, composed of 30 cards, invites the reader to stop in the poetry that surrounds us.
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El ascensor de Einstein
by Felix Dothan
El ascensor de Einstein: científicos que cambiaron el mundo por Felix Dothan El autor escribe sobre la vida y trabajo de científicos prominentes que consiguieron descifrar los secretos de la naturaleza, e inventores que cambiaron el curso de la humanidad. Estos científicos eran personas reales, de carne y hueso, diferentes del uno al otro. Entre ellos se encontraban personajes próximos a la santidad, tales como Albert Einstein y Lise Meitner, junto a ellos personas casi de otro mundo, como Srinivasa Ramanujan. Hubo científicos eminentes que carecieron de integridad intelectual, tales como Leibniz, o aquellos que despertaron sentimientos tanto de admiración como revulsión, como por ejemplo, Fritz Haber. Y muchos más: Arquímedes, uno de los fundadores de las matemáticas y un inventor de armas avanzadas; Benjamin Franklin: empresario, pionero de la teoría de la electricidad, diplomático, autor, y estadista; Davy : un químico agudo y brillante; y así sigue la lista, hasta el astrofísico renombrado Chandrasekhar, uno de los científicos quien, en las últimas décadas, descubrió hechos sorprendentes sobre el universo. Junto a las biografías de los científicos, el libro contiene cuentos cortos sobre temas relacionados con la ciencia – cuentos interesantes y divertidos, pero instructivos a la vez. Felix Dothan es Profesor Emeritus de física de la universidad hebrea de Jerusalén. Fue un científico visitante del instituto europeo para investigación nuclear (CERN) en Ginebra, Y un profesor visitante de la Universidad de California y Yale. Los derechos en español para España y Sudamerica están todavía disponibles!
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Food & Drink2022El viento entre los pinos
Un ensayo acerca del camino del té
by Malena Higashi, Nicolás Stimolo
If learning to prepare tea takes a lifetime, what is truly learned in the process? That is the question that surrounds El viento entre los pinos, Japanese-style: without offering an answer, through anecdotes, poems, and reflections that bring the tea ceremony—one of the most exquisite disciplines of Japanese culture—closer to everyday life. Tasks such as purifying the utensils, arranging flowers, preparing the charcoal, and heating the water appear, in the author's words, as a genuine meditation in motion, inviting us to pause in the present and appreciate our surroundings with all our senses.
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Children's & YA2015Mr Catsky, Mira and the Sea
by Oksana Lushchevska (Author), Violetta Borigard (Illustrator)
Mira dreams about the sea, but it is so far away! One day an unusual guest visits her, and suddenly Mira begins an unexpected journey. Will it be adventurous? What will happen to Mira on the way? Will she manage to reach the sea? This bilingual Ukrainian-English picturebook tells a story of friendship, imagination, and what happens when one faces life's exciting and sometimes uneasy dilemmas. from 3 to 6 years, 1160 words (Ukrainian and English). Rightsholders: Oksana Luchchevska, olushchevska@gmail.com
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February 2018Mira, Oskar und die Buchstaben-Magie
Der Bücherbär. Eine Geschichte für Erstleser:
by Seltmann, Christian; Renger, Nikolai
Unglaublich! Mira malt zwei Monster und die hüpfen plötzlich quicklebendig durchs Klassenzimmer. „Das sind Geheuer und Getüm!“, ruft Oskar. Im Nu verbreiten die beiden nichts als Unsinn. Doch sie suchen auch etwas ganz Bestimmtes - etwas, das sie zu richtigen Monstern werden lässt. Zum Glück haben Mira und Oskar eine unheimlich gute Idee … Eine Geschichte über den Zauber von Wörtern und Buchstaben
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Children's & YAAugust 2013Ghadi & Rawan
by Fatima Sharafeddine and Samar Mahfouz Barraj
Ghadi is a young teenager of Lebanese origin, living in Brussels. Like so many Lebanese emigrants, Ghadi’s family comes to Lebanon during the summer holidays. Ghadi spends his summer with his cousin and friends in the family’s mountain house, among whom Rawan, the daughter of his grand-parent’s neighbors. Ghadi and Rawan are very close friends, and at the end of summer, when each of them goes their separate ways, they stay in touch via e-mail. The novel is built on their correspondence. From the moment the plane lands, Ghadi misses Lebanon and his friends, dreaming of the next summer. He has many friends at school, but he is also bullied by an older boy. Rawan, with her sense of humor and creativity is quite popular among her friends, and that year decides to run for the elections of the students’ representatives. Tensions at home are nevertheless more and more palpable, as Rawan’s father regularly comes home in a very bad temper. Rawan is convinced that her parents are on the verge of divorce. Having overheard a phone conversation, she also believes that her father has a lover. This situation is distressing, and Rawan has trouble concentrating at school. She feels lonely, and her anxiety pushes her away even from her closest friends. Meanwhile, in Brussels, Ghadi gets mixed up in drugs, unwillingly, and falls under the power of the boy who’s been bullying him. Each on their own, Rawan and Ghadi will find ways out of their problems, and will learn and grow from their experiences, while their friendship strengthens. With this novel for young adolescents (13 year olds), the two authors tackle issues that are central in the lives of young teens all over the world. The relationship to family members, to friends and classmates, drugs and violence, unemployment, racism, exile, identity and roots, are all issues that are touched upon in the novel.
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November 2021Die Hydra des Dschihadismus
Entstehung, Ausbreitung und Abwehr einer globalen Gefahr
by Asiem El Difraoui
Nachdem der »IS« in Trümmern lag und »Kalif« al-Baghdadi im Oktober 2019 von US-Truppen getötet wurde, schien der »Krieg gegen den Terror« einmal mehr beendet. Aber der Dschihadismus ist längst eine globale Bewegung geworden, der Dutzende von Organisationen angehören – und mit Gewalt allein ist ihr nicht beizukommen.Seit drei Jahrzehnten verfolgt Asiem El Difraoui als Filmemacher, Journalist und Wissenschaftler diese Entwicklung. Er traf Kampfgefährten bin Ladens in Khartum und PR-Strategen, die in Berlin-Charlottenburg Propagandavideos produzierten. In Kriegsgebieten wie Bosnien, dem Irak oder in Afghanistan hat er selbst den Terror gegen die Bevölkerung miterlebt. Und immer wieder kam der Terror auch zu ihm, wie in Gestalt der Anschläge 1995 und 2015 in Paris, die sich in seiner unmittelbaren Nachbarschaft ereigneten. Kenntnisreich und anschaulich schildert Difraoui, wie der Dschihadismus entstanden ist, wie seine Denkmuster und PR-Strategien sich gewandelt haben und woraus die Hydra ihre Kraft bezieht. Was macht die todbringende Ideologie gerade auch für junge Menschen in Europa attraktiv? Welchen Anteil hat der Westen, haben die Medien an ihrem Erfolg? Und wie kann es gelingen, ihre Macht zu brechen? Ein aufrüttelnder Appell, sich einer der größten Gefahren der Gegenwart zu stellen.
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October 2019Impassive Rivers
by Akram El Kebir
“In any case, when you decide to try harga, it's because you no longer expect anything from life. Or that you expect a lot!” (Akram El Kebir) The summer of 2018 was particularly deadly in Oran, as the discovery of harraga corpses being fished out of the Mediterranean was commonplace. That same summer saw the commissioning of a water cab, the Rossinante II, which made the daily shuttle between Oran and the small seaside town of Aïn El Turk. A cafe owner in a small estaminet in Sidi El Houari, Zaki, at the age of 24, led a dull, boring life, with no prospects for the future other than to cherish the hope of one day attempting the harga. It was only the fear of ending up eaten by fish that dissuaded him. That said, as soon as he heard about the water cab, an absurd idea occurred to him: what if he hijacked the boat and headed for the Iberian coast? He won't be alone in this crazy adventure, as his neighborhood friends Okacha and Anis, and other outcasts, are sure to follow him. But these modern-day Don Quixotes shouldn't claim victory too soon! They'll learn the hard way that hijacking an entire ship is no picnic. They'll have to face up to the Italian crew, as well as the rest of the passengers. Passionate debates ensue, in a sort of impromptu Citizens' Assembly, where all issues affecting society are discussed. On the eve of the February 22nd Revolution, Zaki has eyes only for one of his hostages, the impetuous Nafissa...
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Literature & Literary StudiesNovember 2000The world of El Cid
Chronicles of the Spanish Reconquest
by Rosemary Horrox, Simon Maclean
Makes available, for the first time in English translation, four of the principal narrative sources for the history of the Spanish kingdom of León-Castile during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Three chronicles focus primarily upon the activities of the kings of León-Castile as leaders of the Reconquest of Spain from the forces of Islam, and especially upon Fernando I (1037-65), his son Alfonso VI (1065-1109) and the latter's grandson Alfonso VII (1126-57). The fourth chronicle is a biography of the hero Rodrigo Díaz, better remembered as El Cid, and is the main source of information about his extraordinary career as a mercenary soldier who fought for Christian and Muslim alike. Covers the fasincating interaction of the Muslim and Christian worlds, each at the height of their power. Each text is prefaced by its own introduction and accompanied by explanatory notes. ;
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Fiction2021Strangers at Home
by Ezzat El-Kamhawi
The novel brings together residents of a multi-story building. In a world besieged by COVID-19, Ezzat El-Kamhawi’s new novel places its main characters in a fictional world dominated by isolation and obsessions, where people are forced to surrender to a crushing flood of memories. FROM THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE: “The novel explores the pandemic and its impacts on social life in Egypt, by presenting examples of the people who suffered from the disease. Structurally, it interacts with other literary genres and combines realism and fantasy.”
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Teaching, Language & ReferenceNovember 2010El Camino by Miguel Delibes
by Catherine Davies, Jeremy Squires
Upon entering the Royal Spanish Academy in 1975, Miguel Delibes delivered an address which reclaimed El camino (1950) for the emerging Green movement. With a blend of hilarity, satire, pathos and tragedy, Delibes artfully explores the process of crossing boundaries in pursuit of maturity and social advancement, whilst also implying that real education is the unfolding of the human heart among friends and sweethearts within a shared social and natural space. This new annotated version of the text comprises an introductory essay discussing green issues, attitudes towards the Spanish peasantry under Franco, and the function of the novel's subtly orchestrated comedy. It also contains explanatory notes on the text, discussion topics and an extensive Spanish-English glossary. This edition is intended primarily for English-speaking students of Spanish literature and culture at school and university. ;
