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Edition 6 (2011) Nominee
Barbara Romaine
バーバラ・ロメイン
Barbara Romaine
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Arabic
- Residence History
- Alexandria, Egypt → Cairo, Egypt → Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA → New York, USA
Career
- Occupations
- academic, translator, educator
- Active Years
- 1987-
- Affiliations
- College of William and Mary (faculty), Middlebury College (instructor), University of Pennsylvania (instructor), Swarthmore College (instructor), Princeton University (instructor), Villanova University (Department of Global Interdisciplinary Studies, editorial activity), New York University (adjunct, thesis reviewer)
- Influenced By
- Radwa Ashour, Bahaa Taher, Mohamed Mansi Qandil
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlebury College (intensive immersion program) | — | — | — | 複数の夏季集中プログラム（年度不詳） | United States |
| American University in Cairo (fellowship) | — | — | — | 1992-1993（フェローシップ） | Egypt |
Middlebury College (intensive immersion program)
Period:
複数の夏季集中プログラム（年度不詳）
Country:
United States
Participated in intensive immersion language programs
American University in Cairo (fellowship)
Period:
1992-1993（フェローシップ）
Country:
Egypt
Year on fellowship for research and Arabic study
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship | Spectres (translation of Radwa Ashour) | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 2011 | Banipal Prize (runner-up) | Spectres (translation of Radwa Ashour) | — | Banipal Trust for Arab Literature | ランナーアップ |
| 2015 | National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship | A Cloudy Day on the Western Shore (translation support) | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
2007
Work:
Spectres (translation of Radwa Ashour)
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
Banipal Prize (runner-up)
2011
Work:
Spectres (translation of Radwa Ashour)
Organization:
Banipal Trust for Arab Literature
Result:
ランナーアップ
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
2015
Work:
A Cloudy Day on the Western Shore (translation support)
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery
1996 Translation (Arabic literature)English translation of Bahaa Taher's novel exploring Egyptian society, religion, and community.
Egyptian societyreligion and communityhistory
Siraaj
2007 Translation (novel)Translation of a novel by Radwa Ashour, depicting women's experiences and social change.
womenmemorysocial change
Spectres
2011 Translation (novel)Translation of Radwa Ashour's work dealing with memory, trauma, and the intersection of personal and social history.
memorytraumahistory and the individual
Blue Lorries (original title: Farag)
2014 Translation (novel)English translation of Radwa Ashour's novel focusing on everyday life, politics, and memory.
everyday lifepoliticsmemory
A Cloudy Day on the Western Shore
2018 Translation (novel)Translation of Mohamed Mansi Qandil's novel depicting rural life, history, and landscape.
rural lifelandscapehistory
Waiting for the Past (original title: What Will Come)
2022 Translation (novel)English translation of Hadiya Hussein's work exploring relations between past and present and changing human relationships.
past and presentrelationshipschange
Sand-Catcher
2024 Translation (novel)Translation of a work by Omar Khalifah addressing themes of the contemporary Arab world (short stories/novel excerpt).
contemporary Arab worldsocial themes
Write Arabic Now!: A Handwriting Workbook for Letters and Words
2018 Educational workbookA handwriting workbook for Arabic letters and words, including handwriting models by Lana Iskandarani.
language educationhandwriting practice
Bibliography
- Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery (1996)
- Siraaj (2007)
- Spectres (2011)
- Blue Lorries / Farag (2014)
- A Cloudy Day on the Western Shore (2018)
- Write Arabic Now! (2018)
- Waiting for the Past (2022)
- Sand-Catcher (2024)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- faithful to the source while idiomatic in Englishlexical choices respectful of context and preservation of rhythm
- Recurring Motifs
- memory and traumaintersection of personal and social historycross-cultural movement and dialogue
Legacy
Barbara Romaine is a translator and educator who has introduced important contemporary Arabic literature to English readers. She has been recognized with NEA fellowships and a Banipal Prize runner-up placement, and has contributed to translation studies and education through university teaching and editorial work.
Trivia
- Originally trained as a classicist, she became interested in Arabic after archaeological research in Alexandria in 1987.
- Held a fellowship at the American University in Cairo in 1992-1993.
- Taught at Villanova University (2008–2021) in the Department of Global Interdisciplinary Studies and edited the journal Writing in Tongues.
- Received NEA fellowships in 2007 and 2015.
- Published the handwriting workbook Write Arabic Now! in 2018.
- Joined NYU as an adjunct and thesis reviewer in December 2022.