Kafa Al-Zou'bi (Arabic: كفى الزعبي, born 1965) is a Jordanian author.[1] Her novel Cold White Sun was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2019.[1][2]
Kafa Al-Zou'bi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 (age 58–59) |
| Nationality | Jordanian |
| Occupation | Author |
| Awards | Shortlisted for International Prize for Arabic Fiction |
Biography
editKafa Al-Zou'bi was born in 1965 in Ar-Ramtha, Jordan.[3] She graduated from Ramtha Secondary School for Girls in 1984.[3] She earned a B.Sc. in civil engineering from Leningrad State University in 1992.[1][3][4] She lived in St. Petersburg, Russia for a substantial period of time, experiencing the end of the Soviet Union.[citation needed] She left Saint Petersburg in 2006, and now lives in Amman, Jordan, where she works as a journalist as well as a novelist,[1] though she maintains strong ties to both cities.[citation needed]
Novels
editAl-Zou'bi has written six novels, five in Arabic and one in Russian.[4] Al-Zou'bi's novels are generally interested in Arab intellectual life and existentialism.[citation needed]
- سقف من طين (Saqf min ṭīn ("A Clay Roof")). Damascus: Arab Writers Union, 2000.[3]
- ليلى والثلج ولودميلا (Laylá wa-al-thalj wa-Lūdmīlā) "Laila, the Snow and Ludmilla")). Beirut: The Arab Institute for Studies and Publishing, 2007. Also published in Russian, Moscow: Admarginen, 2010.[1][3]
- Go Back Home, Khalil, published only in Russian. Moscow, 2009.[1][3][5]
- ابن الحرام (Ibn Al-Harām). Damascus and Beirut: Dār al-Takwīn, 2012.[citation needed]
- س (Sīn ("S")). Damascus: Dār al-Takwīn, 2014.[citation needed]
- شمس بيضاء باردة (Shams Baidha' Baridah ("Cold White Sun")). Beirut: Dar al-Adab, 2018.
Reception
editThe novels S and Laila, the Snow and Ludmilla were the subject of a symposium debate between translator Alexander Habash and the novelist Faten Al-Murr at the 2015 Beirut International Book Fair.[6] The discussion focused on interpreting the two novels as potentially feminist texts.[6] The literary critic Ali Hassan Al-Fawaz responded with an article rejecting the premise, describing Al-Zou'bi's writing as transcending simple political interpretations; Al-Zou'bi's novels, he argues, require a reader who will rise to the semiotic challenges of her symbolic writing.[6]
Cold White Sun was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2019.[1][2] As a shortlisted book, it was one of 6 titles selected from 134 candidates.[2] Being shortlisted comes with a prize of $10,000.[2] Despite this international success, the novel faced censorship in Jordan.[7] In February 2018, the Media Commission forbade circulation of the novel within Jordan and asked distributors to re-export any copies they had in their possession.[7] The Commission declined to give a specific reason for the ban.[7] The novel is about a young intellectual who feels alienated from the conservative society of Amman.[8] Much of the book takes the form of the diary of an old man who was the prior occupant of his windowless room.[4] This narrative raises existential questions about eternity and futility, and the suppression of Arab intellectual culture.[4] The literary critic Walid Abu Bakr described the novel as a combination of the myth of Enkidu in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the myth Sisyphus, contrasting heroic and absurd models of eternity.[7]
Issue 66 of Banipal, the Magazine of Modern Arab Literature takes Al-Zou'bi as its featured author, with an essay on her literary influences, an excerpt of Cold White Sun translated into English, and a review of the novel.[9] This excerpt is the only writing by Al-Zou'bi available in English, as of 2019.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Kafa Al-Zou'bi". International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
- ^ a b c d Natour, Rajaa (2019-02-10). "The 'Arabic Booker Prize' Could Make History This Year". Haaretz. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
- ^ a b c d e f "كَفى الزعبي" [Kafa Al-Zou'bi]. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (in Arabic). Retrieved 2019-12-16.
- ^ a b c d Burqan, Nidal (2019-02-13). "كفى الزعبي: "شمس بيضاء باردة" تشتبك مع السؤال الوجودي" [Kafa Al-Zou'bi: “A cold white sun” clashes with the existential question]. Ad-Dustour (in Arabic). Retrieved 2019-12-16.
- ^ a b Qualey, M. Lynx (2019-02-07). "Read the Writers Shortlisted for 2019 International Prize for Arabic Fiction". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
- ^ a b c Al-Fawaz, Ali Hassan (2015-02-17). "الأردنية كفى الزعبي وشيفرات الكتابة النسوية" [Jordanian Kafa Al-Zou'bi and Feminist Writing Codes]. Al-Quds Al-Arabi (in Arabic). Retrieved 2019-12-16.
- ^ a b c d "رواية تصطدم بالرقابة "الأبوية": "شمس" كفى الزعبي لن تشرق على الأردن" [A novel that clashes with "patriarchal" censorship: "Shams", Kafa Al-Zou'bi, will not shine on Jordan]. Al-Akhbar (in Arabic). 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
- ^ Miranda, Guilherme (2019-02-06). "International Prize for Arabic Fiction announces shortlist". Retrieved 2019-12-16.
- ^ "Celebrating Kafa Al-Zou'bi: A Feature on the Jordanian Author". Banipal. 66.