Publication types Books Founded 1980 Country of origin United Kingdom | Founder Mohammed Bashir Fergiani Headquarters location London, United Kingdom Fiction genre History | |
Parent company Dar Fergiani publishing house Distribution United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Libya, Egypt Fiction genres Literature, History, Translation Official website | ||
Darf Publishers is an independent British publisher established in 1980 in London focusing on publishing books on the Middle East, North Africa and the Arab World in English. Initially, most of Darf's books were facsimile editions of rare 18th and 19th century books, covering topics like history, sociology, literature and languages, culture and sport.
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Origins
the firm was established 1980 in London by its Libyan publishing entrepreneur Mohammed Fergiani as the English imprint of Dar Fergiani Arabic publishing house which he established first in Libya and later in Egypt since 1952. It was named after the first letters of Dar Fergiani, which operated mainly in Libya since 1950's until it was forced outside the country after Gaddafi regime came to power in Libya and targeted and banned privately owned publishing companies. The founder Mohammed Fergiani emigrated in the late 1970s, returning later to Libya in 1990's to reopen several bookshops and continue its publishing operations in Libya and several other Arab countries.
Early Publications
Since its inception in 1980 Darf focused on publishing books on Libya, Middle East and the Arab World in English. The firm has more than 200 titles in its back catalogue of facsimile editions of rare and out of print 18th and 19th century books, that mainly deals with history, sociology, literature and languages, culture and sport, it also published books in other languages such as Italian on the history of Libya and the Middle East.
New Publications
The firm recent relaunch of its publishing operations began in 2009 focusing mainly on translating and publishing literature by Middle Eastern and North African, and European writers. Darf is focusing on emerging new talents of writers in Middle East and North Africa, and is also planning to publish new writers in English.
Among its new publications are Chewing Gum (novel) by Mansour Bushnaf, African Titanics by Abu Bakr Khaal and Maps of the Soul by Ahmed Fagih. Darf have also published the first English translation of Confines of the Shadow by Italian novelist Alessandro Spina.