Ben East

This week, a week-long celebration of films made and written by women opens in London – and several films with UAE links are in the mix.

The award-winning American author Patrick Ness tells The National why a Japanese myth told to him as a schoolchild was so powerful, it became the starting point for his new novel.

Gulf Women is a new collection of essays from international scholars aiming to understand the history of the Gulf and Arab world - with a particular focus on its women.

Sophia Al-Maria's incredible childhood as the daughter of a Bedouin father and American mother informs her film and art work and has spawned a memoir.

Ben East takes a look at the life and career of the Canadian teenager.

A collection of images now at the Imperial War Museum commemorates the Iraq war.

Ruth Ozeki's new book is being hailed as a profound exploration of life in the 21st century. But, as she explains to Ben East, it didn't come easy.

The Arab British Centre has been awarded the Unesco-Sharjah Prize, which recognises contributions to the spread of Arab Culture.

As London's V&A announces a link with the Qatar Museums Authority, we chat with the director Martin Roth about what such collaborations mean for both continents.

As the current success of Ang Lee's Life Of Pi proves that with the right treatment, any difficult book can work on the big screen, The National looks at other "unfilmable" movies set for 2013 .

The Dubai-based artist Tammam Azzam's latest work, Freedom Graffiti, went viral last week. He explains what inspired him to create it - and what he hopes his new found fame will mean for Syria.

The author's latest translated short story collection, The Iraqi Christ, attempts to both make sense of and poke fun at Iraq's recent past.

We decided to try out the latest diet craze sweeping the UK. The Fast Diet involves fasting for two days of the week and indulging in whatever you feel like on the other days. Sound implausible? Well read on to see how it went.

Raqib Shaw, one of India's foremost artists opens up about what inspires his work ahead of the opening of his latest show in Manchester.

The author's previous book was not only a great success, it hinted at a new genre unencumbered by secret agent cliche. He tells us why he's set the follow-up in Dubai.