The 16th EURAMAL (The European Association for Modern Arabic Literature) Conference, ‘Catastrophe and Beyond: Representations of Violence and Trauma in Modern Arabic Literature’ took place in St Andrews on 22-26 June 2026.

The School of Modern Languages welcomed more than 100 participants from all over the world. The conference featured more than 90 papers, 24 panels, as well as numerous special events with writers and poets, such as Nouri al-Jarrah, Ghayath Almadhoun, Sinan Antoon, David Herd, Eleni Kefala and Dima Wannous, with Catherine Cobham.

Further information about EURAMAL and full conference programme are available on EURAMAL 2026 website.

Conference gallery

Group photo of EURAMAL 2026 participants on Wardlaw Museum terrace

 

The Syrian writer Dima Wannous in conversation with Annamaria Bianco (Aix-Marseille University) at the special event ‘Arab Writers in the UK’ (Wed 24 June)

 

Fabio Caiani (Arabic and Persian, School of Modern Languages) presenting his paper on the late Iraqi poet Fawzi Karim (Mon 22 June)

 

The Palestinian poet Ghayath Almadhoun giving his lecture ‘Pandora’s Box: An Autobiography of a Palestinian Poet in Exile’ (Tue 23 June)

 

Palestinian poet Ghayath Almadhoun, Cypriot poet Eleni Kefala (School of Modern Languages), British poet David Herd (School of English), Syrian poet Nouri al-Jarrah, Catherine Cobham (founding Head of Department of Arabic and Persian), Simone Sibilio (University of Venice) at the special poetry reading (Mon 22 June)

 

The special poetry reading in Parliament Hall (Mon 22 June)

 

The Iraqi novelist, poet and academic Sinan Antoon delivering the Edward de Moor Memorial Lecture ‘Epistemic Violence in Iraqi Literary Culture’ (Mon 22 June)

 

Teresa Pepe (University of Oslo), Sinan Antoon & Fabio Caiani during the first session Q&A (Mon 22 June)

 

Teresa Pepe (Oslo University) presenting her paper on the Egyptian author Fatima Qandil (Mon 22 June)