Podcast Summary:

New Books Network
Episode: Maria Dadouch, "I Want Golden Eyes" (U Texas Press, 2025)
Date: September 6, 2025
Host: Turul Mende
Guest: Marsha Lynx Qualey (co-translator with Sawad Hussain)

Overview

This episode of New Books in Middle Eastern Studies features Marsha Lynx Qualey discussing the English translation—undertaken with Sawad Hussain—of Maria Dadouch’s speculative YA novel I Want Golden Eyes (University of Texas Press, 2025). The discussion explores the origins of Qualey’s career in Arabic literature, the significance and themes of Dadouch’s writing, translation challenges, and the landscape of Arabic literature for young readers in translation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Marsha Lynx Qualey’s Path into Arabic Literature

• Background: Moved to Cairo in early 2000s for a teaching job, then shifted to cultural journalism.
  • "I was atrocious at teaching and possibly the world's worst kindergarten teacher. But I loved Cairo." (02:37)
• Started 'ArabLit': Began as a personal blog about Arabic books, grew as the Cairo blogging community blossomed.
  • Early support and recognition by writers like Ahmed Neji, Ursula Lindsay, and Sanda Mirani.
  • The blog’s evolution into ArabLit Quarterly and ArabLit Books. (02:54-03:48)

Discovering & Translating I Want Golden Eyes

• Maria Dadouch’s work was first introduced to Marsha by Rania Abdelrahman at book fairs.
  • "I remember Rania taking this middle grade series by Maria Daduch and showing it to me, showing me how fun and funny it was." (05:09)
• University of Texas Press approached Marsha after Dadouch won the Schumann Award, seeking speculative fiction.
• Translation process:
  • Marsha completed the initial translation draft.
  • Sawad Hussain, busy at the time, later reviewed, read against the Arabic, made critical suggestions.
  • "It was really fantastic to have such an experienced translator as Sawad... to really kind of listen to the novel and make suggestions on how the final product should be." (05:45)

Themes & Audience of the Novel

• Plot and Social Critique:
  • Follows a 16-year-old girl in a stratified, futuristic Comoros Islands:
    • Underclass lives underground, upper class above.
    • Intelligence is genetically manipulated for the elite, creating cycles of advantage/disadvantage.
    • Central message: Intelligence is not fixed; access and education can transform one’s world.
  • "It's really a critique of our world." (07:31)
  • The story asks: Will the protagonist only uplift herself or work for change for all? (08:41)
• Audience:
  • Though aimed at young readers, good children’s literature should resonate with all ages.
  • Marsha involved her own son as a reader to ensure natural dialogue and tone. (07:02; 07:23)

What Makes Dadouch’s Work Special?

• Humor:
  • Maria Dadouch stands out for being "so funny," a rare and essential quality in engaging young readers with serious themes.
  • "There's one in particular—not to gross people out—where she spits in the drinks of some rich people. That's really funny." (10:39)
• Emotional Range and Craft:
  • Even with grim subject matter (e.g., enslavement, physical punishment), moments of levity persist.
  • Characters are fleshed out, pacing and timing are excellent.
  • "Her pacing, her timing, her humor, her characters..." (10:58)
• Genre Breadth:
  • Dadouch writes across formats—picture books, historical YA, middle grade mysteries. (11:23)

The Translation Process

• Linguistic Approach:
  • Language is straightforward but not "dumbed down"; speculative fiction elements require inventing new terms and careful consideration.
  • "She invents a lot of terms, right, because she's inventing new technologies and new social relationships... you have to then make up a word for in English." (14:25)
• Worldbuilding Challenges:
  • Required extensive collaboration with Dadouch to visualize invented settings, diseases, and social systems.
  • "Translation is like a glacier... it needs to be supported by all this thought and research." (15:45)
• Co-translation:
  • Sawad Hussain’s feedback helped tighten pacing, clarify language, and refine action.
  • "It was a very intense process, which is the good part of co-translation." (17:18)

Publishing YA Translation & Press Choice

• Difficulties in Publishing for Young Readers:
  • "It is very hard to publish middle grade and young adult literature, any literature for young readers in translation. It is very hard." (18:08)
  • Perception persists that translation is "serious grown up adult" territory.
• University of Texas Press’ Role:
  • Chosen for its commitment to connecting books with schools, libraries, and youth audiences—resources small presses often lack.
  • "She... was able to have, have Maria come in and speak about the book with, with young people at different places and... fund... that through University of Texas." (19:20-20:12)
• Unique Challenges:
  • Academic presses are mainly built for adult audiences, but UTP made efforts to build young reader engagement and school outreach. (20:43)

Balancing Roles: Editing, Translating, and ArabLit

• Juggling Tasks:
  • ArabLit is a passion project with no salary; day split between editing, translation commissions (to fund ArabLit), and community building.
  • "Airblit doesn't actually pay me anything... so I work basically work for other presses in order to support the work of Arablet." (21:22; 22:08)

Hopes for the Future of Arabic Literature in Translation

• Advocacy for YA and Middle Grade Translation:
  • There’s been a blossoming, but still a great lack in translated works for young readers.
  • "I would love to see more of that available in translation." (24:58)
• Recommended:
  • The Children of Nut and Other Myths: Reimagining Egyptian Tales by Muhammad A. Jamal, translated by James Scanlon—a lively, snarky retelling of Egyptian myths that excited both Marsha and ArabLit. (23:24-24:17)
  • Maria Dadouch’s Who Took Our Cart?—a tender mystery about children in a refugee camp. (24:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I was atrocious at teaching and possibly the world's worst kindergarten teacher. But I loved Cairo."
  —Marsha Lynx Qualey (02:37)

• "Her books for young readers are funny. And I think that is an essential element when you're trying to get young people engaged with a book."
  —Marsha Lynx Qualey (10:00)

• "Good children's literature is for all ages. Good adult literature is obviously not also for five year olds, but really good children's literature can be enjoyed by, by anyone."
  —Marsha Lynx Qualey (06:56)

• "Translation is like a glacier... it needs to be supported by all this thought and research and looking at the language and looking at below."
  —Marsha Lynx Qualey (15:45)

• "There’s, however, there is still a dearth, like a great dearth of translation for young readers... I would just love to see more of that available in translation."
  —Marsha Lynx Qualey (24:35; 24:58)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 01:17 Introduction to the guest and episode theme
• 03:48 Early encounters with Maria Dadouch’s work
• 06:53 Plot and themes of I Want Golden Eyes
• 09:58 What’s distinctive about Dadouch’s writing
• 13:45 Translation process and co-translation dynamics
• 18:05 Why publish with University of Texas Press?
• 21:22 Balancing ArabLit and translation/editing careers
• 22:47 Desired future Arabic-to-English translations
• 25:11 Final thoughts and hopes for the field

Episode Tone

The conversation is collegial, enthusiastic, and intellectually generous, with Marsha Lynx Qualey sharing behind-the-scenes insights, humor, and her passion for both the Arabic literary field and broadening access for young readers.