TALE (Translating Arabic Literature in Europe)

TALE brings together five partners around three main objectives:

1. Promote inclusion, intercultural dialogue, and linguistic diversity in the Euro-Mediterranean area.
2. Support the independent publishing sector and the actors of the book chain.
3. Foster and increase the circulation in Europe of Arabic-language narratives written by residents of the European Union.

This project follows on from LEILA – Promoting Arabic Literature in Europe project (2021–2023), funded by the Creative Europe programme, which brought together a network of Euro-Arab experts to create a catalogue of contemporary Arabic-language literary works that had been little or not translated in Europe, and to promote them among European publishers.

Agence Karkadé, which works in the field of cultural cooperation within the Euro-Mediterranean region, has brought together four independent publishers to publish six works from the LEILA catalogue in four European languages. The partner publishers are based in Italy (Tamu Edizioni), Cyprus (Armida Books), Ireland (Mercier Press), and France (Cambourakis).

The works translated as part of the project were originally written in Arabic by authors residing in the European Union and have been little or not translated in Europe. The aim of the TALE project is to offer these authors a readership in Europe, to increase their mobility and visibility within EU countries, to enable them to have their works translated, published, and circulated there, and to bring them into contact with European audiences through a programme of community-wide literary encounters.

The TALE project also lays the groundwork for the creation of a dedicated collection featuring narratives from the Euro-Mediterranean region. This collection is intended to grow year after year, driven by an ever-expanding network of partner publishers across Europe.

Irish Partner

Mercier Press, Cork is is Ireland’s oldest independent publishing house, based in Cork. It was founded in 1944 by Captain Seán and Mary Feehan. The Mercier Press was established in 1944 and went on to become the first Irish publisher to challenge accepted Catholic dogma with its first book, The Music of Life, by Fr. James.

In an era where AI-generated content is becoming increasingly prevalent, Mercier Press remains committed to delivering trustworthy, fact-checked, and professionally curated literature.