Arab American Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 4 (2010) Winner
Dunya Mikhail
デュンヤ・ミハイル
Dunya Mikhail
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1965-03-19 （Baghdad, Iraq）
- Nationality
- Iraqi-American
- Languages
- Aramaic, Arabic, English
- Religion
- Chaldean Catholic
- Residence History
- Baghdad, Iraq → Jordan (as refugee) → United States (Michigan)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Translator, Journalist, Lecturer
- Active Years
- 1985-
- Affiliations
- Mesopotamian Forum for Art and Culture (co-founder), Oakland University (special lecturer)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Baghdad | — | — | BA | — | Iraq |
| Wayne State University | — | Near Eastern Studies | MA | — | United States |
University of Baghdad
Degree:
BA
Country:
Iraq
BA (year not specified)
Wayne State University
Near Eastern Studies
Degree:
MA
Country:
United States
MA in Near Eastern Studies (year not specified)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | United Nations Human Rights Award for Freedom of Writing | — | — | United Nations | 受賞 |
| 2005 | PEN Translation Fund Award | The War Works Hard | — | PEN American Center | 受賞（翻訳支援） |
| 2006 | Griffin Poetry Prize (shortlist) | The War Works Hard | — | Griffin Poetry Prize | ノミネート（最終候補） |
| 2005 | New York Public Library Best Books | The War Works Hard | — | New York Public Library | 選出 |
| 2010 | Arab American Book Award | Diary of a Wave Outside the Sea | — | Arab American National Museum | 受賞 |
| — | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞（年不明） |
| — | Knight Foundation grant | — | — | Knight Foundation | 助成（年不明） |
| — | Kresge Fellowship | — | — | Kresge Foundation | 受賞（年不明） |
| — | International Prize for Arabic Fiction (shortlist) | — | — | International Prize for Arabic Fiction | ノミネート（ショートリスト、年不明） |
United Nations Human Rights Award for Freedom of Writing
2001
Organization:
United Nations
Result:
受賞
PEN Translation Fund Award
2005
Work:
The War Works Hard
Organization:
PEN American Center
Result:
受賞（翻訳支援）
Griffin Poetry Prize (shortlist)
2006
Work:
The War Works Hard
Organization:
Griffin Poetry Prize
Result:
ノミネート（最終候補）
New York Public Library Best Books
2005
Work:
The War Works Hard
Organization:
New York Public Library
Result:
選出
Arab American Book Award
2010
Work:
Diary of a Wave Outside the Sea
Organization:
Arab American National Museum
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞（年不明）
Knight Foundation grant
Organization:
Knight Foundation
Result:
助成（年不明）
Kresge Fellowship
Organization:
Kresge Foundation
Result:
受賞（年不明）
International Prize for Arabic Fiction (shortlist)
Organization:
International Prize for Arabic Fiction
Result:
ノミネート（ショートリスト、年不明）
Awards & Nominations
National Book Award for Translated Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (2018) Longlisted
Works
Major Works
The War Works Hard
2005 PoetryA collection of poems examining how war shapes individual lives and daily existence, blending stark observation with allegorical elements; themes include exile, memory, and loss.
WarExileMemoryLoss
Translations
- English translation by Elizabeth Winslow
Diary of a Wave Outside the Sea
2009 PoetryAn experimentally structured poetry book that intersects personal experience and historical memory, exploring female perspective and corporeality.
FemininityMemoryCorporealityHistory
The Iraqi Nights
2014 PoetryA collection weaving Iraqi legends and personal memory, addressing postwar society, loss, and acts of retelling.
FolkloreMemoryPostwar Society
Translations
- English translation by Kareem James Abu-Zeid
The Theory of Absence
2014 PoetryA poetic meditation on absence and lack, considering personal and social voids.
AbsenceVoidOntological themes
Translations
- Chinese translation (Chinese University Press)
The Beekeeper: Rescuing the Stolen Women of Iraq
2018 Nonfiction / Translated work (co-translator)An English translation (co-translated) of a work addressing the rescue of women abducted in Iraq; highlights human-rights concerns.
Human rightsWomen's rightsRescue
Translations
- English translation by Max Weiss & Dunya Mikhail (co-translators)
In Her Feminine Sign
2019 PoetryA poetry collection probing social themes through femininity, embodiment, and intimate narration.
FemininityEmbodimentNarrative
The Bird Tattoo
2020 PoetryA poetry collection linking personal memory and symbolism to connect the individual and history.
MemorySymbolismPersonal history
Bibliography
- The War Works Hard
- Diary of a Wave Outside the Sea
- The Iraqi Nights
- The Theory of Absence
- The Beekeeper: Rescuing the Stolen Women of Iraq
- In Her Feminine Sign
- The Bird Tattoo
Translations by Author
- The Beekeeper (co-translated by Max Weiss & Dunya Mikhail)
Translations of Works
- The Theory of Absence — Chinese edition (Chinese University Press, 2014)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Concise and clear dictionUse of allegorical and symbolic imageryDirect yet restrained voice
- Recurring Motifs
- Exile and belongingMemory and lossBody and scarsLanguage and translation
Legacy
As an Iraqi-born poet writing in Arabic and English, she is known for work on war, exile, and memory. She has received international awards and grants and is recognized for her contributions to migration and human-rights dialogue through poetry.
Quotes
-
The war works hard.
Source: The War Works Hard (2005)
Trivia
- Born into a Chaldean Catholic family.
- Fled Iraq in 1995, first to Jordan and then to the United States.
- Co-founder of the Mesopotamian Forum for Art and Culture in Michigan.