This post is also available in: العربية

Egyptian publishing house Yadawya, which specialises in producing handwritten books, has announced that it has published Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano’s ‘First Voices,’ translated by Ahmed Hassan. The book is the first title in Yadawya’s new series, which focuses on translating selected titles by renowned writers, poets and novelists.

Founded by artist and author Maher Shareef, Yadawya is the first publishing house in the Arab world that is specialised in publishing handwritten and hand illustrated books. The text is written and photocopied in conjunction with the number of requested copies before each title is coloured and covered manually.

In order for Yadawya’s publications to be unique and exclusive, the publishing house assembles each copy using the manual bookbinding technique, which involves sewing thread through the folds and trimming or cutting the edge of each copy. The publication is then distributed to exclusive bookstores and book vendors, given the limited number of copies of each title.