Translating Urdu Literature: First Up, A 19th-Century Epic

“Launching a new publishing venture in the current economic climate is risky enough, but Toronto-based writer and translator Musharraf Ali Farooqi is really going out on a limb. Not only is his new company, Urdu Project, dedicated exclusively to publishing English translations of classical and contemporary works of Urdu literature, but he has chosen, as his debut offering, a centuries-old, 24-volume fantasy epic.”

UK’s Immigration Laws Are Harming The Arts

“Thanks to the one-size-fits-all anti-terrorism laws, artists from outside the EU now need to go through a complex process of finding a sponsor and getting all manner of fingerprints and face-scans prior to travelling to the UK. … [D]o we really need a scan of Robert LePage’s face to know that he’s not coming here to bomb Canary Wharf?” And that’s hardly the only problem with the laws.

Karole Armitage, The Billy Boys And Slumdog Up For Astaire Awards

Among the finalists for the honors dedicated to Broadway dance are choreographers Armitage (Hair) and Graciela Daniele (Pal Joey) as well as performers Karen Olivo (Anita in West Side Story) and the three young men sharing the title role in Billy Elliot. For film choreography, a category added last year, nominees include Slumdog Millionaire, Mamma Mia and the unavoidable High School Musical 3.

ENO Loses Iranian Director Angered By Visa Ordeal

“The English National Opera’s season has been thrown into chaos after an acclaimed Iranian director pulled out of a production in a row over the ‘disrespectful’ behaviour of British Embassy staff in Tehran. Abbas Kiarostami objected to the behaviour of officials as he attempted to negotiate his way through the ‘unduly time-consuming and complicated’ visa application process, which requires all applicants to be fingerprinted.”