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Jonathan Wright

ジョナサン・ライト

Jonathan Wright

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1953-01-01 （Andover, Hampshire, England）
Nationality
British
Languages
English, Arabic
Residence History
Canada (childhood) → Malaysia (childhood) → Hong Kong (childhood) → Germany (childhood) → Egypt (long-term residence/work) → Washington, D.C. (based 1997–2003)

Career

Occupations
journalist, literary translator (Arabic→English)
Active Years
1980-
Affiliations
Reuters, American University in Cairo (editor of Arab Media & Society)
Influenced By
Hassan Blasim, Youssef Ziedan, Modern and contemporary Arabic writers

Education

Packwood Haugh School
Period: 1966–1967
Year of Graduation: 1967
Country: United Kingdom
Shrewsbury School
Period: 1967–1971
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: United Kingdom
St John's College, Oxford
Arabic, Turkish and Islamic civilisation
Year of Graduation: 1975
Country: United Kingdom
Studied Middle Eastern subjects and Arabic

Awards

Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation
2013
Work: Azazeel (translation of Youssef Ziedan's Azazeel)
Organization: Banipal Trust for Arab Literature
Result: 受賞
Independent Foreign Fiction Prize
2014
Work: The Iraqi Christ (translation of Hassan Blasim's The Iraqi Christ)
Organization: The Independent / Independent Foreign Fiction Prize
Result: 受賞
Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation
2016
Work: The Bamboo Stalk (translation of Saud Alsanousi's The Bamboo Stalk)
Organization: Banipal Trust for Arab Literature
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Taxi

2008 Short stories / contemporary fiction

An English translation of a series of interlinked stories told from the perspective of Cairo taxi drivers, combining social observation and humour.

urban lifesocial observationclass

Azazeel

2012 Historical novel

Set in 4th-century Egypt, the novel explores religion, thought and power; Wright's English translation brought the work international attention.

religionhistoryfaith and power

The Iraqi Christ

2013 Short story collection

An English translation of short stories themed around Iraq; noted for distinctive perspective and imagination, the translation won awards.

war and violencedisplacementhuman dignity

The Bamboo Stalk

2015 Novel

An English translation of a novel set between Kuwait and the Philippines, questioning identity and belonging; the translation received international recognition.

identitymigrationfamily

Frankenstein in Baghdad

2018 Novel (contemporary literature)

An English translation of an allegorical novel set in war-torn Baghdad; the original won the Arabic Booker and the translation gained international attention.

effects of warcycle of violenceurban devastation

Bibliography

  • Taxi (by Khaled al-Khamissi) — 2008
  • The Madman of Freedom Square (by Hassan Blasim) — 2009
  • On the State of Egypt: What Caused the Revolution (by Alaa Al-Aswany) — 2011
  • Judgment Day (by Rasha al Ameer) — 2012
  • Life on Hold (by Fahd al-Ateeq) — 2012
  • Azazeel (by Youssef Ziedan) — 2012
  • The Iraqi Christ (by Hassan Blasim) — 2013
  • Whatever Happened to the Egyptian Revolution? (by Galal Amin) — 2013
  • Land of No Rain (by Amjad Nasser) — 2014
  • Temple Bar (by Bahaa Abdelmegid) — 2014
  • The Bamboo Stalk (by Saud Alsanousi) — 2015
  • Sleepwalkers (by Sa'd Makkawi) — 2015
  • The Televangelist (by Ibrahim Eissa) — 2016
  • The Longing of the Dervish (by Hammour Ziada) — 2016
  • Critique of Religious Discourse (by Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd) — 2018
  • Frankenstein in Baghdad (by Ahmed Saadawi) — 2018
  • Jokes for the Gunmen (by Mazen Maarouf) — 2019
  • The Book of Collateral Damage (by Sinan Antoon) — 2019
  • The Egyptian Assassin (by Ezzedine Choukri Fishere) — 2020
  • God 99 (by Hassan Blasim) — 2020
  • Here Is A Body (by Basma Abdel Aziz) — 2021
  • The Disappearance of Mr. Nobody (by Ahmed Taibaoui) — 2023
  • Sololand (by Hassan Blasim) — 2025

Style & Themes

Literary Style
faithful, culturally sensitive translationjournalistic clarity and concision
Recurring Motifs
Middle Eastern politics and societyreligion and historyidentity and alienation

Legacy

Jonathan Wright has significantly contributed to the dissemination of Arabic literature in the English-speaking world through his translations, receiving several major translation prizes. He has also worked for many years as a journalist covering the Middle East.

Academic Societies

  • Banipal Trust (associated organisation)

Quotes

  • I removed the plank covering a ventilation hole, crawled out and walked along the Beirut–Damascus highway.
    Source: Eighteen Days with Abu Nidal's Men (Wright's account) (1984)

Trivia

  • Kidnapped in Lebanon in 1984 and later escaped after being held captive for weeks.
  • Long-serving Reuters correspondent and bureau chief in the Middle East; has lived and worked across the region.
  • Recipient of multiple translation awards including the Banipal Prize and the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.