Available in German, English and Arabic

What can poems composed on the Arabian Peninsula around 1,500 years ago tell us today? And what can a new translation reveal in supposedly familiar stories such as The Thousand and One Nights? Classical Arabic literature is one of the great traditions of world literature, yet it remains surprisingly little known in the German-speaking world. Ambitious new translations make its linguistic power, vivid imagery, and sometimes surprising contemporary relevance accessible to readers today.

Stefan Weidner, winner of the 2026 Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the category “Arab Culture in Other Languages,” presents his volume Der arabische Diwan. Die schönsten Gedichte aus vorislamischer Zeit (The Arabic Diwan: The Most Beautiful Poems from the Pre-Islamic Period and Beyond, Die Andere Bibliothek, 2024).

Claudia Ott, nominated for the 2025 Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the Translation category, discusses her new translations of The Thousand and One Nights(C.H. Beck). How can ancient Arabic literature be translated into a contemporary language? What is lost in the process, and what becomes newly visible?

A conversation about the art of translation, the social significance of poetry and storytelling, why classical Arabic literature deserves a firm place in our understanding of world literature, and the role played by initiatives such as the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.

An event organized by Litprom / Frankfurter Buchmesse and Sheikh Zayed Book Award with the following panelists:

• Stefan Weidner,  Scholar, Translator and Literary Critic, Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2026 Arab Culture in Other Languages Laureate
• Claudia Ott, Scholar, Translator and Musician

Moderator: Dr. Christian Junge, Lecturer and Researcher in Modern Arabic Literature and Culture