Monday, 25 May 2026
Literary exchange in Cairo: Japanese classic ‘The Crab Cannery Ship’ presented in Arabic
The Japan Foundation’s Cairo Office is delighted to invite literature enthusiasts and cultural explorers to a special seminar dedicated to the renowned Japanese novel, The Crab Cannery Ship by Takiji Kobayashi.
This significant event shines a spotlight on cross-cultural exchange, as the novel has recently been translated into Arabic by Professor Dr. Maher El-Sherbini, a respected scholar in Japanese Linguistics at Cairo University’s Faculty of Arts.
The Arabic edition, published by El Mahrousa Center for Publishing, Information and Press Services, now brings this influential work to new audiences in the Middle East and beyond.
The seminar will take place at the EL-Balad Bookstore, centrally located at 31 Mohamed Mahmoud Street, just opposite the American University in Cairo’s Tahrir campus. Mark your calendars for Thursday, June 25, at 6:00 PM.
The Crab Cannery Ship is a landmark novel in Japanese literature, depicting the harsh lives of workers aboard a Japanese crab-canning ship. Through vivid storytelling, Takiji Kobayashi illustrates the exploitation, hardship, and eventual uprising of the workers, offering a powerful message about social justice and solidarity.
This seminar is a wonderful opportunity for readers, academics, and those interested in Japanese culture to gather, learn, and engage in meaningful dialogue across continents and languages.