Saqi Books is an independent UK publisher co-founded in 1984 by author and feminist Mai Ghoussoub

Mai Ghoussoub

Mai Ghoussoub was a Lebanese writer, artist, publisher and human rights activist. She was the co-founder of the Saqi bookshop and publishing house.-Life:...

 to "print quality academic and general interest books on the Middle East". It now claims to be "the UK's largest publisher of Middle Eastern and Arabic titles". Its titles include cookery and travel books.

On its 21st Anniversary in 2004, The Independent

The Independent

The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

praised it for 'issuing titles that stimulate and challenge - books with "editorial audacity"'

It has bookshops in London and Beirut and in 2008 held its 25th anniversity celebration at Kensington Town Hall

Kensington Town Hall

Kensington Town Hall is a former municipal hall in Kensington, Victoria, Australia.The classical style building, located in Bellair Street was first constructed in 1901.During World War II it was used as a command post...

 featuring musician Brian Eno

Brian Eno

Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...

, Turkish author Moris Farhi

Moris Farhi

Moris Farhi MBE is an author who has been vice-president of International PEN since 2001.-Background:Farhi was born in Ankara, Turkey, in 1935. Farhi received B.A. in Humanities from Robert Academy, Istanbul, in 1954. He came to the UK the same year and trained at The Royal Academy of Dramatic...

 and British author Maggie Gee

Maggie Gee

Maggie Mary Gee is an English novelist. She was born in Poole, Dorset, then moved to the Midlands and later to Sussex. She was educated at state schools and at Oxford University . She later worked in publishing and then had a research post at Wolverhampton Polytechnic where she completed a...

.