ABSTRACT

This conversation with Leila Aboulela is shaped primarily by an interest in her work’s position in the literary marketplace, especially in the UK. It explores Aboulela’s considerable success as a Muslim writer whose fictional worlds are infused with Islam, and asks what this might tell us about the place of faith within the marketplace. The discussion ranges from the author’s journey to publication through the roles played by editors and designers in the production of her fiction to the marketing and reception of her work, also exploring the question of whether and how to translate faith to a secular readership. Mindful of shifts in the reception of writers of colour, including Muslim-heritage writers, through Aboulela’s long career, it concludes with a consideration of a new generation of writers whose work does not shy away from Islamic perspectives, suggesting an openness to unfamiliar world views among readers and some publishers.

摘要

与 Leila Aboulela 的这次对话主要是出于对她的作品在文学市场（尤其是英国）的地位的兴趣。它探讨了阿布拉作为一名穆斯林作家所取得的巨大成功，他的虚构世界充满了伊斯兰教，并询问这可能告诉我们关于信仰在市场中的地位的什么信息。讨论范围从作者的出版之旅到编辑和设计师在她的小说创作中所扮演的角色，再到她作品的营销和接受，还探讨了是否以及如何将信仰转化为世俗读者的问题。注意到在阿布拉的漫长职业生涯中，对有色人种作家（包括穆斯林传统作家）的接受程度发生了变化，