Literati

We met Rashid Diab the first week we were in Khartoum. We had been invited to a fancy party at the home of a Middle Eastern financier, and as we mingled, we had the great pleasure of being introduced to one of the country's most celebrated artists, Dr. Diab.

Rashid Diab spent most of his life in Spain, and to show his gratitude to that country after returning to his homeland, he hosted a party at his art center to honor the opening of the new Spanish Embassy. We also attended this event and got to tour one of Dr. Diab's studios, galleries, and educational centers.

We were immediately taken by the vibrancy of his work. Diab's paintings capture the sometimes glaring brightness of life in Sudan: the sun, the colors of the women's thoubs, the burning peach sand, the clear sky.

This week, while researching for work, I came across an interview and feature of Dr. Diab on NPR. I had been meaning to highlight some local literati, and this story signaled to me that time had come for us to mention Diab here on our blog.

While on the subject of artists who tell stories about the experience of life in Sudan, I hope you will also take note of two authors:

• Kamal Ibrahim Hassan
• Tayeb Salih

The former is also a good friend of a friend here, who hosted a lavish evening of food and drink that we were honored to attend. Hassan is a poet and journalist, as well as a professor at the University.

The latter is perhaps Sudan's most famous writer. His work is available in in translation, including in English, and it is accessible to a variety of readers with a variety of interests. "Season of Migration to the North" is Salih's best known work. E and I are currently working through "The Wedding of Zein," translating it as we can, a page or two at a time. (NB: this is the kind of thing you can do when your leisure time has the pace of an octogenarian tortoise, in the desert, in 110 degree heat, like ours does).

As we get to know more about this rich culture and are exposed to more artists and notable figures, we will try to share them with you. If you have others to suggest to us, your comments on this blog are most welcome.