About Saqi

International Publishing Since 1983

Saqi Books is a leading independent publisher based in London. Founded in 1983 out of the pioneering Al Saqi Bookshop in Westbourne Grove – one of the UK’s first specialist booksellers of Arabic literature – Saqi was established to amplify bold, original voices from the Middle East, North Africa and the wider diaspora, voices underrepresented in western publishing and global discourse.

From its early focus on translated fiction, critical theory and political history, Saqi has evolved into a global publisher with a diverse and distinguished list. Its titles span genres and geographies, united by a commitment to literary quality, editorial independence and intellectual integrity.

For over four decades, Saqi has championed courageous, thought-provoking writing across genres. Our Saqi Bookshelf series showcases both timeless classics and dazzling contemporary voices from the region, featuring authors such as Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz and RSL Fellow Leila Aboulela. Landmark nonfiction titles include The Crusades through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf, Beyond the Veil by Fatema Mernissi and Black Britain by Paul Gilroy.

Our two imprints reflect the breadth and ambition of our publishing. Telegram Books is dedicated to  literary fiction from around the world, from striking debuts to bold contemporary voices. The Westbourne Press publishes trenchant nonfiction that interrogates the leading issues of our time with intellectual rigour and narrative flair. Its bestsellers include Zealot by Reza Aslan, Sex and Punishment by Eric Berkowitz, London’s Overthrow by China Miéville and C+nto & Othered Poems by Joelle Taylor, winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize.

The name Saqi is drawn from classical Arabic poetry and evokes the figure of the cupbearer, a symbol of knowledge, spirit and generosity. It reflects our mission: to publish literature that challenges dominant narratives, fosters cultural understanding and sparks vital conversations.

With a global network of writers, translators, agents and distributors, Saqi remains proudly international in scope. Our work has been recognised with numerous accolades, including the British Book Industry Award for Diversity in Literature, the IPG Diversity Award and the Arab British Culture and Society award.

Providing books on the Middle East since 1978

In 1978, lifelong friends André Gaspard and Mai Ghoussoub resettled in London as a result of the Lebanese civil war and founded the Al Saqi bookshop. They yearned to recreate something of the heady intellectual freedom of pre-war Beirut, and to supply a then-untapped market for English and Arabic books on the Middle East and North Africa. The bookshop became a leading light of multicultural London during the 1980s, known for procuring books banned across the Arab world. Today, Al Saqi Books remains a treasure trove for readers from all walks of life.

André and Mai began publishing English-language works as Saqi Books in 1983. Five years later, a sister company Dar al Saqi was founded in Beirut to release in Arabic seminal titles of philosophy, Western thought and social theory, as well as original works of fiction by leading Arab authors who were often unable to get published in their own countries. Today multi-award-winning Dar al Saqi is one of the most prestigious publishing houses in the Arab world, publishing over a hundred titles a year.

Over the past thirty years, through releasing innovative and seminal works about the Middle East, North Africa and beyond in English and Arabic, Saqi has become a byword for the development and promotion of Middle Eastern culture. Our efforts to bring censored works and authors into the light are an important contribution to keeping the range of Middle Eastern writing diverse, alive and provocative. The inclusion of minority authors among our lists helps, we hope, to demolish cultural barriers that might otherwise reinforce political or geographic ones.