Banipal was an independent literary magazine dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Arabic literature through translations in English. It was founded in London in 1998 by Margaret Obank and Samuel Shimon. The magazine was published three times a year. Since its inception, it published works and interviews of numerous Arab authors and writers, many of them translated for the first time into English. It has also co-sponsored the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation.
Banipal was an independent literary magazine dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Arabic literature through translations in English. It was founded in London in 1998 by Margaret Obank and Samuel Shimon. The magazine was published three times a year. Since its inception, it published works and interviews of numerous Arab authors and writers, many of them translated for the first time into English. It has also co-sponsored the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation.
As of December 2022, 75 issues of Banipal had been published. With this, the editors announced the final edition. Each issue usually focuses on a specific theme, recent issues focusing on Libyan fiction, Arab American authors, Iraqi authors, Literature in Yemen Today, Writing in Dutch, etc. The magazine has been praised both by non-Arab and Arab commentators - Gamal el-Ghitani, James Kirkup, Anton Shammas among others - for its role in spreading Arabic literature to a wider audience. The Iraqi poet, novelist and translator Fadhil Al Azzawi said:
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