BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Detroit X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Detroit BEGIN:VEVENT UID:35796@arabamerica.com DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260219T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260219T210000 DTSTAMP:20260202T025404Z URL:https://www.arabamerica.com/events/book-launch-cleopatra-by-saara-el-a rifi-in-conversation-with-r-f-kuang/ SUMMARY:Book Launch: CLEOPATRA\, by Saara El-Arifi\, in conversation with R . F. Kuang DESCRIPTION:\nOverview\n\n\n\n\n\nJoin us in celebrating author Saara El-Ar ifi &\; the U.S. launch of her new novel\, CLEOPATRA. Presented by Narr ative\, at The Brattle Theatre.\n\n\n\n\nThis is a ticketed event. This ev ent is presented by Narrative and will be hosted offsite at The Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square. Please review all details below and your sho pping cart prior to completing your purchase. All sales are final. No ref unds or exchanges.\n\nJoin us in celebration of author Saara El-Arifi fo r the U.S. launch of her new novel\, CLEOPATRA. El-Arifi will be joined in conversation by author R. F. Kuang.\n\nEVENT DETAILS:\n\nVenue: The Brat tle Theatre\, 40 Brattle St\, Cambridge\, MA 02138\n\n6:30PM: Check-in\n\n 7:00PM: Event Start\n\n7-8PM: Author Conversation + Audience Q&\;A\n\n8 -8:45PM: Book signing with both authors\n\n9PM: Event End\n\n*Works from b oth authors will be available for purchase on-site. $5 credit included wit h all registration purchases- redeemable during the event only\, 1 credit redemption per purchase.\n\nThis is an in-person event &\; will not be live-streamed. Recording/photography is not permitted during this event.  Further details will be emailed to all registered guests prior to the even t. Please reach out to info@narrativebookshop.com with any questions.\n\nC LEOPATRA:\n\nEveryone knows the name Cleopatra. To historians\, she was th e ruler of Egypt\; to the Romans\, a villainess\; and to Hollywood\, a gla morous and romantic superstar... but who was she\, truly? In the stunning new novel\, CLEOPATRA (Ballantine\; on sale 2/24/26)\, bestselling author Saara El-Arifi brings the iconic Egyptian queen to life as we’ve never k nown her before: richly reimagined\, deeply human\, and speaking in Cleopa tra’s own voice. This is not simply a retelling\; it is a resurrection.\ n\nThe novel opens with 19-year-old Cleopatra being thrust upon the throne after her father’s death\, unaware of what the next 20 years will bring . Though blessed by the Goddess Isis\, even divine favor cannot shield her from what lies ahead: the upheaval of a Roman civil war\, the wrath of th e gods\, and most of all the lure of love.\n\nEl-Arifi\, best known for he r fantasy novels—including bestseller and BookTok favorite Faebound—al so holds a master’s degree in African studies with a dissertation focuse d on Cleopatra\, making her the perfect voice to bring to life the story o f the last Egyptian pharaoh as both a historical figure and a mythological one. She infuses CLEOPATRA with historical depth from years of research\, the feminist heart of Madeline Miller's Circe\, and the magical spark of Jennifer Saint's Ariadne to explore the myths that made Cleopatra’s foll owers believe she was a living goddess. The result is a novel that is epic \, transportive\, enchanting\, and completely fresh.\n\nEARLY PRAISE:\n\n* A Book Riot Most Anticipated Book of 2026*\n\n*A BookBub Best Historical F iction of Winter*\n\n“Few historical figures have been as maligned\, rom anticized or exoticized as Cleopatra. With this unflinching take on her li fe and legacy\, El-Arifi raises Cleopatra from the sands of time\, greets her with profound compassion\, and liberates her from the judgement of men \, granting her dignity and humanity. An extraordinary achievement.”\n\n —Samantha Shannon\, New York Times bestselling author of The Priory of t he Orange Tree\n\n“Cleopatra is a sensational work in historical writing : Cleopatra as she is meant to be told. Saara El-Arifi is true brilliance\ , and this book cements here even further as one of the most prolific and important writers of the moment.”\n\n—Hannah Kaner\, bestselling autho r of Godkiller\n\n“Action-packed... Filled with carefully researched det ail... A worthy addition to novels about powerful women.”\n\n—Kirkus\n \nSAARA EL- ARIFI is an internationally bestselling and award-winning aut hor of fantasy and historical fiction. El-Arifi knew she was a storyteller from the moment she told her first lie. Over the years\, she has perfecte d her tall tales into epic ones. She has lived in many countries\, had man y jobs\, and owned many more cats. After a decade of working in marketing and communications\, she returned to academia to complete a master’s deg ree in African studies specializing in Cleopatra’s myth and her impact o n Black women. She currently resides in London as a full-time procrastinat or.\n\nR. F. KUANG is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bests elling author of the Poppy War trilogy\, Babel: An Arcane History\, Yell owface\, and Katabasis. Her work has won the Nebula\, Locus\, Crawford\, and British Book Awards. She was named to the 2023 Time100 Next list and t he Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2024. A Marshall Scholar\, she has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Stud ies from Oxford. She is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Lit eratures at Yale\, where she researches Sinophone literature and Asian Ame rican literature.\n\n\n\n\n\n ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.arabamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2 026/02/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_1174962539_2324167710403_1_original.j peg LOCATION:The Brattle Theatre\, 40 Brattle Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States GEO:42.373507;-71.121461 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=40 Brattle Street\, Cambrid ge\, MA\, 02138\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=The Brattle The atre:geo:42.373507,-71.121461 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Detroit X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Detroit BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20251102T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR