The voice of Arabic literature

On Wednesday, October 21, from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM inside room S.F.301, the Arabic Cultural Institute celebrates a scholar who has made a fundamental contribution over several decades to the study and dissemination of Arabic literature in Italy: Isabella Camera d’Afflitto. Honorary Professor at Sapienza University of Rome and former Professor of Modern and Contemporary Arabic Literature at Sapienza, Isabella Camera d’Afflitto is the author of numerous scholarly studies and translations. She has received prestigious awards in recognition of her work in translating and promoting Arabic literature. Her work spans poetry, fiction, translation, literary criticism, and contemporary literature, helping bring the voices of generations of Arab writers to Italian readers. And in 2026, a major new publication further enriches her remarkable scholarly contribution: Letterature arabe dalla «nahdah» al nuovo millennio. Percorsi storici, temi e autori, a volume of over 600 pages that traces more than two centuries of cultural and literary history across the Arab world, from the Maghreb to the Mashreq. We look forward to celebrating her and her extraordinary contribution together!

PROGRAMME

Introduction

Wael Farouq, Director of the Arabic Cultural Institute

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Isabella Camera d’Afflitto and the Study of Arabic Literature

Speakers

Gonzalo Fernández Parrilla of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Monica Ruocco of the Università l’Orientale di Napoli

Hussein Mahmoud of Badr University in Cairo

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM: The Translation of Arabic Literature in Italy

Speakers

Manuela Elisa Bibiana Giolfo of the Università IULM di Milano

Simone Sibilio of the Università Ca’ Foscari

Naglaa Waly of the Università degli Studi di Torino

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Presentation of the Volume “Letterature arabe dalla Nahḍah al nuovo millennio”

Speakers

Sobhi Boustani of the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales in Paris

Paola Viviani of the Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli

Closing remarks

Isabella Camera d’Afflitto of Sapienza Università di Roma

Wael Farouq, Director of the Arabic Cultural Institute