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Alia Mamdouh

アリーア・マムドゥーク

Alia Mamdouh

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1944-01-01 （Baghdad, Iraq）
Nationality
Iraq
Languages
Arabic
Residence History
Baghdad (birth) → Beirut (residence) → Morocco (residence) → Paris (residence, exile)

Career

Occupations
novelist, author, journalist, editor
Active Years
1971-
Influenced By
Albert Camus
Nominations
International Prize for Arabic Fiction — shortlisted (2020)

Education

University of Mustansiriya
Faculty of Psychology / Department of Psychology
Degree: 学士
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: Iraq
Graduated in psychology in 1971. Worked as a magazine editor around the same time.

Awards

Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature
2004
Work: The Loved Ones
Organization: American University in Cairo (AUC)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Naphtalene (Habbat al-Naphatalin / Naphtalene: A Novel of Baghdad)

1986 Fiction (novel)

A retrospective novel about a girl growing up in Baghdad in the 1940s and 1950s. One of her major works written after exile, dealing with memory, family and social change.

memoryhomelandfemale experiencemigration/exile
Translations
  • English translation by Peter Theroux

Prelude to Laughter (ftitahiya lil Dahik)

1971 Short stories

An early collection of short stories mixing humor and irony through close observations of society and individuals.

social observationhumorhuman relationships

The Loved Ones

2003 Fiction (novel)

A story revolving around family, love and memory. Translated into English and internationally acclaimed; won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal in 2004.

familylovememory
Translations
  • English translation by Marilyn Booth

The Tank

2020 Fiction (novel)

A recent work addressing politics and the personal, the memories of war and societal scars. Shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2020.

warmemorypolitics

Al-Wala (Passion)

1993 Fiction

A mid-period novel centered on passion and interpersonal relationships.

passionrelationships

Al-Ghulama (The Maiden)

2000 Fiction

A work exploring women's coming-of-age and their social positions.

womencoming-of-age

Al-Mahbubat

2005 Fiction

One of her works from the 2000s. Detailed information is limited.

familymemory

Bibliography

  • ftitahiya lil Dahik (Prelude to Laughter) (1971)
  • Hawamish ilal Sayyida Ba (Notes to Mrs. B) (1973)
  • Overture for Laughter (short stories) (1973)
  • Layla wa Al-Dhib (Laila and the Wolf) (1981)
  • Habbat Al-Naftalin (Naphtalene / Mothballs) (1986)
  • Al-Wala (Passion) (1993)
  • Al-Ghulama (The Maiden) (2000)
  • The Loved Ones (2003)
  • Al-Mahbubat (2005)
  • The Tank (2020)

Translations of Works

  • Naphtalene — English translation by Peter Theroux
  • The Loved Ones — English translation by Marilyn Booth

Style & Themes

Literary Style
poetic and detailed descriptionreflective, lyrical prosenarration that intertwines social context with interiority
Recurring Motifs
homeland and memoryfemale experiencelost timeexile and belonging

Legacy

Regarded as an important contemporary Iraqi writer. Her landmark novel Naphtalene has been widely translated and acclaimed. Writing about Iraq from exile, she is known for connecting national memory with personal reminiscence.

Quotes

  • “Every day I look at my country’s situation and depict its virtues and delights, atrocities and grievances in each novel....I did not leave it, and so it did not leave me.”
    Source: Interview, International Prize for Arabic Fiction (excerpt) (2020)

Trivia

  • Born in Baghdad and has lived for decades in exile (Beirut, Morocco, Paris).
  • Her first major novel Naphtalene depicts a girl's childhood in Baghdad.
  • Won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in 2004.
  • The 2020 novel The Tank was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.