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Edition 5 (2010) Nominee
Kareem James Abu-Zeid
カリーム・ジェイムズ・アブ＝ザイド
Kareem James Abu-Zeid
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1981-01-01 （Kuwait）
- Nationality
- Egypt, United States
- Languages
- Arabic, English, French, German
- Residence History
- Middle East (childhood) → Various locations in Europe → Southern India (several years) → California (graduate studies) → New Mexico (settled)
Career
- Occupations
- translator, editor, writer, teacher
- Active Years
- 2003-
- Memberships
- American Literary Translators Association (ALTA)
- Influenced By
- C. K. Williams, Paul Muldoon, Adunis, Najwan Darwish, Rabee Jaber
- Influenced
- Emerging translators (influence as mentor)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton University | Department of French and German Languages and Literatures | French and German Language and Literature | BA (summa cum laude) | 1999–2003 | United States |
| University of California, Berkeley | Comparative Literature | Comparative Literature | MA | — | United States |
| University of California, Berkeley | Comparative Literature | Comparative Literature | PhD | — | United States |
Princeton University
Department of French and German Languages and Literatures
/ French and German Language and Literature
Degree:
BA (summa cum laude)
Period:
1999–2003
Year of Graduation:
2003
Country:
United States
Studied French and German language and literature; attended translation workshops under CK Williams and Paul Muldoon.
University of California, Berkeley
Comparative Literature
/ Comparative Literature
Degree:
MA
Country:
United States
University of California, Berkeley
Comparative Literature
/ Comparative Literature
Degree:
PhD
Country:
United States
Dissertation focused on modern poetry as a spiritual practice.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | PEN Center USA Translation Prize | Confessions | — | PEN Center USA | winner |
| 2014 | Poetry magazine translation prize | Nothing More to Lose: Selected Poems | — | Poetry magazine | winner |
| 2014 | Northern California Book Award | Nothing More to Lose: Selected Poems | — | Northern California Book Reviewers | winner |
| — | Banff Centre residency | — | — | Banff Centre for the Arts | residency |
| — | Lannan Foundation residency | — | — | Lannan Foundation | residency |
| 2003 | Fulbright Fellowship / Fulbright Enterprise Scholarship | — | — | Fulbright Program | fellowship |
| — | National Endowment for the Arts translation grant | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | grant |
| — | CASA Fellowship (American University in Cairo) | — | — | American University in Cairo | fellowship |
| 2025 | PEN Heaney Prize (shortlisted) | No One Will Know You Tomorrow | — | PEN | shortlisted |
| 2009 | Banipal Prize (runner-up) | Cities without Palms | — | Banipal Trust | runner-up |
PEN Center USA Translation Prize
2017
Work:
Confessions
Organization:
PEN Center USA
Result:
winner
Poetry magazine translation prize
2014
Work:
Nothing More to Lose: Selected Poems
Organization:
Poetry magazine
Result:
winner
Northern California Book Award
2014
Work:
Nothing More to Lose: Selected Poems
Organization:
Northern California Book Reviewers
Result:
winner
Banff Centre residency
Organization:
Banff Centre for the Arts
Result:
residency
Lannan Foundation residency
Organization:
Lannan Foundation
Result:
residency
Fulbright Fellowship / Fulbright Enterprise Scholarship
2003
Organization:
Fulbright Program
Result:
fellowship
National Endowment for the Arts translation grant
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
grant
CASA Fellowship (American University in Cairo)
Organization:
American University in Cairo
Result:
fellowship
PEN Heaney Prize (shortlisted)
2025
Work:
No One Will Know You Tomorrow
Organization:
PEN
Result:
shortlisted
Banipal Prize (runner-up)
2009
Work:
Cities without Palms
Organization:
Banipal Trust
Result:
runner-up
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Confessions
2016 Novel (translation)English translation of Rabee Jaber's novel; deals with personal and historical memory, violence, and identity.
memorywar and violenceidentity
The Mehlis Report
2013 Novel (translation)English translation of Rabee Jaber's politically charged novel concerning investigations and power.
politicsinvestigationhistory
The Palm House
2012 Novel (translation)English translation of Tarek Eltayeb's work, touching on migration and urban life.
migrationurban lifecross-cultural tensions
Cities without Palms
2009 Literature (translation)English translation of Tarek Eltayeb; runner-up for the Banipal Prize.
citydisplacementmemory
Nothing More to Lose: Selected Poems
2014 Poetry (translation)Translation of selected poems by Najwan Darwish; winner of the Northern California Book Award.
resistancecollective and personal memoryhome
The Iraqi Nights
2014 Poetry/Prose (translation)English translation of Dunya Mikhail's work dealing with Iraq and wartime experiences.
warexilememory
Songs of Mihyar the Damascene
2019 Poetry (translation)Co-translation (with Ivan Eubanks) of Adunis's seminal poetry collection.
tradition and innovationreligious and spiritual motifslanguage and poetry
Exhausted on the Cross
2021 Poetry (translation)English translation of Najwan Darwish's poetry, with a foreword by Raúl Zurita.
resistancelosshope
No One Will Know You Tomorrow
2024 Poetry (translation)Translation of Najwan Darwish's collection; shortlisted for the PEN Heaney Prize.
memorythe futuresocial and political themes
Bibliography
- Confessions (Rabee Jaber)
- The Mehlis Report (Rabee Jaber)
- The Palm House (Tarek Eltayeb)
- Cities without Palms (Tarek Eltayeb)
- Nothing More to Lose: Selected Poems (Najwan Darwish)
- The Iraqi Nights (Dunya Mikhail)
- Songs of Mihyar the Damascene (Adunis)
- Exhausted on the Cross (Najwan Darwish)
- No One Will Know You Tomorrow (Najwan Darwish)
Translations of Works
- Confessions — English translation
- Nothing More to Lose — English translation
- Songs of Mihyar the Damascene — English translation
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- A style that balances fidelity to the original with poetic recreation in EnglishTranslation approach emphasizing rhythm and sonic qualities of language
- Recurring Motifs
- memory and lossexile and movementspirituality and religious imagerypolitical resistance
Legacy
Recognized as a major translator who has introduced contemporary Middle Eastern poetry and Arabic literature to English-speaking audiences; known for mentoring emerging translators and editing translations.
Academic Societies
- American Literary Translators Association (ALTA)
Trivia
- Born in Kuwait and raised in the Middle East.
- Studied at Princeton (BA) and completed graduate work at UC Berkeley (MA, PhD; dissertation on poetry and spirituality).
- Works primarily translating from Arabic, French, and German into English.
- Recipient of awards including the PEN Center USA Translation Prize (2017).
- Serves as a mentor for emerging translators with ALTA.