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Huzama Habayeb

フザマ・ハバイェブ

Huzama Habayeb

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1965-06-04 （Kuwait (Kuwait)）
Nationality
Palestinian
Languages
Arabic, English (studied/for translation)
Residence History
Kuwait (born and raised) → Jordan (long-term residence) → United Arab Emirates (residence)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist, Short story writer, Poet, Translator, Columnist, Journalist, Teacher
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
Jordanian Writers Association (member), Arab Writers Federation (member)
Memberships
Jordanian Writers Association, Arab Writers Federation

Education

Kuwait University
English Language and Literature / Department of English Language and Literature
Degree: B.A.
Period: 1983–1987
Year of Graduation: 1987
Country: Kuwait
Received a B.A. in English Language and Literature

Awards

Jerusalem Festival of Youth Innovation (Short Stories)
1992
Work: The Man Who Recurs (short story collection)
Category: 短編
Organization: Jerusalem Festival of Youth Innovation
Result: winner
Mahmoud Seif Eddin Al-Erani Award (Short Stories)
1994
Work: The Faraway Apples (short story collection)
Category: 短編
Organization: Jordanian Writers Association
Result: winner
Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature
2017
Work: Velvet (novel)
Category: 小説
Organization: AUC/Medal committee (awarding body)
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Man Who Recurs (الرَّجُل الذي يَتَكرَّر)

1992 Short story collection

Debut short story collection focusing on women's interior lives and fragments of daily existence; received regional recognition.

Women's interiorityLossEveryday life
Translations
  • English translation: excerpts published in magazines

The Faraway Apples (التُفَّاحات البَعِيدَة)

1994 Short story collection

A collection of varied short stories that further established her reputation as a writer.

Movement and settlementWomen's experiences

A Form of Absence (شَكْلٌ للغِياب)

1997 Short story collection

Stories in the collection were read as facets of a single woman; regarded as a turning point in her technique.

IdentityMultiplicity of the feminine

Sweeter Night (لَيْلٌ أحْلَى)

2002 Short story collection

A short-story collection that deepened recurring themes; received strong critical praise.

LossMemoryHuman relationships
Translations
  • English translation: excerpts published in Banipal magazine

The Origin of Love (أصْلُ الهَوَى)

2007 Novel

A novel notable for frank sexual content that provoked controversy and was temporarily banned in Jordan; nonetheless received critical praise.

CorporealityGenderFreedom and censorship

Begging (اسْتِجْداء)

2009 Poetry (free verse)

A free-verse poetry collection that received praise and showcased her stylistic range.

Inner monologueFemininityWriting as salvation

From Behind Windows (مِنْ وَراء النَّوافِذ)

2010 Anthology (contribution)

An anthology published by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture that includes her contribution.

Palestinian voicesCollective memory

Before the Queen Falls Asleep (قَبْلَ أن تَنامَ المَلِكَة)

2011 Novel

A novel framed as a mother telling her story to her daughter abroad; explores diaspora and female loss. Received wide critical acclaim and was listed in The Guardian's picks.

DiasporaLossMotherhood
Translations
  • English excerpts published in Banipal

Velvet (مُخْمَل)

2016 Novel

A novel that vividly depicts life in a Palestinian refugee camp; praised for its candid realism and awarded the Naguib Mahfouz Medal in 2017.

Reality of refugee campsLove and disillusionmentWomen's resilience

Bibliography

  • The Man Who Recurs (1992) - short story collection
  • The Faraway Apples (1994) - short story collection
  • A Form of Absence (1997) - short story collection
  • Sweeter Night (2002) - short story collection
  • The Origin of Love (2007) - novel
  • Begging (2009) - poetry collection
  • From Behind Windows (2010) - anthology (contribution)
  • Before the Queen Falls Asleep (2011) - novel
  • Velvet (2016) - novel

Translations by Author

  • Arabic translation of Gilad Atzmon's The Wandering Who? (2013)

Translations of Works

  • Excerpts of stories and a chapter from her novel translated into English and published in Banipal and other outlets

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realist, richly descriptive narrationPsychological focus on women's interiorityFrank and sometimes provocative treatment of the body
Recurring Motifs
Loss and nostalgiaDiaspora and identityWomen's desire and survival

Legacy

Known for centering Palestinian realities and women's experiences, she is considered an important contemporary Palestinian author in the Arab world. She has continued to speak out amid censorship and political controversy and has received several regional literary prizes.

Academic Societies

  • Jordanian Writers Association
  • Arab Writers Federation

Quotes

  • “And when we're caught by the night, and the sorrows betake themselves to their bedchambers, you come to me barefoot with half of your hair falling down your face... Tell me your story!”
    Source: Excerpt from Before the Queen Falls Asleep (2011)

Trivia

  • Rose to prominence in the 1990s through short stories and won multiple short-story prizes.
  • Her 2007 novel The Origin of Love was temporarily banned in Jordan.
  • In 2012 she led a campaign against an anthology that included Israeli authors, contributing to the project's cancellation.
  • Won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in 2017 for Velvet.
  • Excerpts of her work have been translated into English and appeared in outlets such as Banipal.