Al-Sharah: 'Manakh of 1982' Gifted to British Archive for Wider Academic Access
An English edition of Nadia Ali Al-Sharah's book on the 1982 Souq Al-Manakh crisis, aimed at British and Arab academic institutions.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
Copies of Kuwaiti writer Nadia Al-Sharrah’s book on the stock market crisis have been sent to several prominent British academic and cultural institutions, coinciding with the release of its English edition by the Center for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies at the University of Kuwait. This move aims to expand the reach of this work on Kuwaiti economic history among English-speaking researchers and readers.
Titled “Manakh of 1982,” the English edition is the translation of the book “Manakh 1982... It Was a Palace of Imagination, Then It Fell.” It is the first volume in the Center’s series of translated books. Its publication follows more than three years of work after the release of the third Arabic edition, encompassing translation, review, editing, and proofreading.
Al-Sharrah stated that she ensured copies of the book were donated to the British National Archives in Kew, the British Library in London, the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, SOAS University of London, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the London Business School, with the goal of making its content accessible to a broader academic and research community.
She added that she plans to donate copies to private universities in Kuwait, enabling students and researchers studying in English to benefit from the documentation of the crisis and understand the severe financial and social burdens it imposed on the country.
Regarding the preparation of the English edition, Al-Sharrah explained that the translation phase began in collaboration with The Language Clinic and was carried out by translators Dana Faraj and Donya Abdulaziz. The process took 15 months, after which the text underwent review, editing, and proofreading.
She expressed her pride in the Center for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies’ decision to publish the book and to feature it as the inaugural title in its translated books series. She emphasized that the purpose of the English edition is to broaden the scientific utility of the work and make the documentation of the crisis available to those who could not read it in Arabic.
For his part, Dr. Yaqoob Al-Kandari, Acting Director of the Center, affirmed that the book addresses a major economic crisis whose repercussions extended beyond the financial sphere, leaving political and social impacts on Kuwaiti society, thereby giving its documentation historical and scientific significance.
He clarified that publishing the English edition aligns with the Center’s interest in disseminating studies and books related to Kuwait, the Gulf, and the Arabian Peninsula. He noted that Al-Sharrah’s request to publish the book underwent the Center’s standard approval procedures, consistent with the University of Kuwait’s commitment to the academic rigor of its publications.
Al-Kandari praised Al-Sharrah’s initiative to donate the book to British institutions, as it expands the audience for the subject and adds English-speaking researchers and readers to the audience of the Arabic edition.
He indicated that the book is available for purchase from the Center at the university and is scheduled to be displayed at the upcoming book fair in November, within the space allocated to the Center in partnership with the Scientific Publishing Council.
