Homage to Mai Ghoussoub

Mai Ghoussoub (b. 1952 – d. 2007) was a Lebanese publisher, author, artist, and human rights activist.

Together with her childhood friend André Gaspard, she co-founded Saqi Books, the first Arabic bookshop in London, in 1979. Her commitment to gender issues was made evident through Saqi's booklist, which included works by Brian Whitaker and Ammar Abdulhamid.

Ghoussoub later co-founded Dar al Saqi, which grew into one of the largest publishing houses in the Middle East, boasting some of the most diverse cultural, political, philosophical, literary, and art titles dealing with Arab culture.

Her work as a sculptor has also widely exhibited around the world.

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of her passing, the Sursock Museum is hosting an homage to Mai Ghoussoub, featuring film screenings and readings of texts written by Ghoussoub.

Dar al Saqi will also be launching the “Prix de lecture,” a novel writing contest open to first time writers.