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MEI is honored to host Ethan Chorin, to discuss his new book, "Translating Libya: The Modern Libyan Short Story."

About the book:

Part anthology and part travelogue, Translating Libya presents the country through the eyes of sixteen Libyan short story writers and one American diplomat. Intrigued by the apparent absence of 'place' in modern Libyan short fiction, Ethan Chorin resolved to track down and translate stories that specifically mention cities and landmarks in Libya. The stories trace the influence of the ancient Romans, the later Italian occupation and the current influx of foreign workers from Africa and further afield. The authors open a window on today's Libya - a rapidly urbanizing country with rich oil reserves, recently renewed diplomatic relations with the West and a nascent tourist industry based on its well-preserved ancient cities. This is a unique introduction to a country that has for some time been 'off the beaten path'.

Author Bio:

Ethan Chorin is a senior fellow in the CSIS Middle East Program. His research focuses on the culture and economics of the Middle East, with a particular focus on Iran, the Arabian Peninsula, and Libya. Before joining CSIS, he was one of a small number of Farsi-speaking Foreign Service Officers posted to the Gulf. Prior to that, he served as a commercial/economic attaché to Libya. Before entering government, he cofounded Ishtirak, a consulting firm focused on Islamic markets and investments. Chorin has been the recipient of Fulbright and Fulbright Hays grants, as well as a Jean Monnet Fellowship to France’s Ecole Polytechnique. He speaks Arabic, Farsi, French, and Hebrew.

Dr. Chorin is the author or principal author of numerous studies on Libya, including the U.S. government’s Doing Business In Libya: A Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies (Department of Commerce, 2006), Translating Libya: The Modern Libyan Short Story (Saqi Books, 2008), and an upcoming book chapter on U.S.-Libyan commercial relations. His articles on Middle Eastern literature, Islamic banking, and corporate social responsibility have appeared on the Web sites of Words Without Borders, the Institute for the Future, AMEInfo, and the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Dr. Chorin earned a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.A. from Stanford University, and a B.A. from Yale University.