Hanan al-Shaykh was born Beirut, Lebanon, in 1945, into a strict Shi'a family.[1] Her father and brother exerted strict social control over her during her childhood and adolescence. She attended the Almillah primary school for Muslim girls where she received a traditional education for Muslim girls, before continuing her education at the Ahliah school. She continued her gender-segregated education at the American College for Girls in Cairo, Egypt, graduating in 1966.[2]
She returned to Lebanon to work for the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar until 1975. She left Beirut again in 1975 at the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War and moved to Saudi Arabia to work and write there. She now lives in London with her family.
Her daughter is Juman Malouf, a writer, illustrator and costume designer who is the romantic partner of American director Wes Anderson.[3]
Major themes
Al-Shaykh's literature follows in the footsteps of such contemporary Arab women authors as Nawal El Saadawi in that it explicitly challenges the roles of women in the traditional social structures of the Arab Middle East. Her work is heavily influenced by the patriarchal controls that were placed on her not only by her father and brother, but also within the traditional neighborhood in which she was raised. As a result, her work is a manifestation of a social commentary on the status of women in the Arab-Muslim world. She challenges notions of sexuality, obedience, modesty, and familiar relations in her work.
Her work often implies or states sexually explicit scenes and sexual situations which go directly against the social mores of conservative Arab society, which has led to her books being banned in the more conservative areas of the region including Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. In other countries, they are difficult to obtain because of censorship laws which prevent the Arabic translations from being easily accessible to the public. Specific examples include The Story of Zahra which includes abortion, divorce, sanity, children born outside of marriage, and sexual promiscuity, and Women of Sand and Myrrh which contains scenes of a romantic relationship between two of the main female protagonists.
In addition to her prolific writing on the condition of Arab women and her literary social criticism, she is also part of a group of authors writing about the Lebanese Civil War. Many literary critics[who?] cite that her literature is not only about the condition of women, but is also a human manifestation of Lebanon during the civil war.
Selected works
Work in Arabic
Suicide of a Dead Man, 1970 (انتحار رجل ميت)
The Devil's Horse, 1975
The Story of Zahra, 1980 (حكاية زهرة)
The Persian Carpet in Arabic Short Stories, 1983
Scent of a Gazelle, 1988 (مسك الغزال)
Mail from Beirut, 1992 (بريد بيروت)
I Sweep the Sun Off Rooftops, 1994 (أكنس الشمس عن السطوح)
Two Women by the Sea, 2003 (امرأتان على شطىء البحر)
Works that have been translated into English from Arabic
^Thomson, Liz (6 July 2018). "Hanan al-Shaykh's Girls Just Want to Have Fun". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
^Liukkonen, Petri. . Books and Writers (kirjasto.sci.fi). Finland: Kuusankoski Public Library. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
^Crocker, Lizzie (8 November 2015). "Meet Juman Malouf—Y.A. Fiction's New Spellbinder And Wes Anderson's Muse". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
External links
at The Lebanese Women's Awakening
The Locust and the Bird: My Mother's Story at amazon.com
February 12, 2023
hanan, shaykh, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, 2022, learn,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Hanan al Shaykh news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Hanan al Shaykh Arabic حنان الشيخ born 12 November 1945 Beirut is a Lebanese author of contemporary literature Hanan al ShaykhAl Shaykh at Helsinki Book Fair 2003Born 1945 11 12 12 November 1945 age 77 Beirut LebanonAlma materAmerican College for GirlsOccupationWriter Contents 1 Biography 2 Major themes 3 Selected works 3 1 Work in Arabic 3 2 Works that have been translated into English from Arabic 3 3 Works in English 4 References 5 External linksBiography EditHanan al Shaykh was born Beirut Lebanon in 1945 into a strict Shi a family 1 Her father and brother exerted strict social control over her during her childhood and adolescence She attended the Almillah primary school for Muslim girls where she received a traditional education for Muslim girls before continuing her education at the Ahliah school She continued her gender segregated education at the American College for Girls in Cairo Egypt graduating in 1966 2 She returned to Lebanon to work for the Lebanese newspaper An Nahar until 1975 She left Beirut again in 1975 at the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War and moved to Saudi Arabia to work and write there She now lives in London with her family Her daughter is Juman Malouf a writer illustrator and costume designer who is the romantic partner of American director Wes Anderson 3 Major themes EditAl Shaykh s literature follows in the footsteps of such contemporary Arab women authors as Nawal El Saadawi in that it explicitly challenges the roles of women in the traditional social structures of the Arab Middle East Her work is heavily influenced by the patriarchal controls that were placed on her not only by her father and brother but also within the traditional neighborhood in which she was raised As a result her work is a manifestation of a social commentary on the status of women in the Arab Muslim world She challenges notions of sexuality obedience modesty and familiar relations in her work Her work often implies or states sexually explicit scenes and sexual situations which go directly against the social mores of conservative Arab society which has led to her books being banned in the more conservative areas of the region including Arab countries in the Persian Gulf In other countries they are difficult to obtain because of censorship laws which prevent the Arabic translations from being easily accessible to the public Specific examples include The Story of Zahra which includes abortion divorce sanity children born outside of marriage and sexual promiscuity and Women of Sand and Myrrh which contains scenes of a romantic relationship between two of the main female protagonists In addition to her prolific writing on the condition of Arab women and her literary social criticism she is also part of a group of authors writing about the Lebanese Civil War Many literary critics who cite that her literature is not only about the condition of women but is also a human manifestation of Lebanon during the civil war Selected works EditWork in Arabic Edit Suicide of a Dead Man 1970 انتحار رجل ميت The Devil s Horse 1975 The Story of Zahra 1980 حكاية زهرة The Persian Carpet in Arabic Short Stories 1983 Scent of a Gazelle 1988 مسك الغزال Mail from Beirut 1992 بريد بيروت I Sweep the Sun Off Rooftops 1994 أكنس الشمس عن السطوح Two Women by the Sea 2003 امرأتان على شطىء البحر Works that have been translated into English from Arabic Edit Women of Sand and Myrrh Trans 1992 The Story of Zahra Trans 1994 Beirut Blues Trans 1992 Only in London Trans 2001 I Sweep the Sun Off Rooftops Trans 2002 The Persian Carpet The Locust and the Bird My Mother s Story Trans 2009 Works in English Edit One Thousand and One Nights A Retelling Pantheon 2013 ISBN 978 0307958860 The Occasional Virgin Pantheon 2018 ISBN 978 1524747510References Edit Thomson Liz 6 July 2018 Hanan al Shaykh s Girls Just Want to Have Fun Publishers Weekly Retrieved 17 November 2022 Liukkonen Petri Hanan al Shaykh Books and Writers kirjasto sci fi Finland Kuusankoski Public Library Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Crocker Lizzie 8 November 2015 Meet Juman Malouf Y A Fiction s New Spellbinder And Wes Anderson s Muse The Daily Beast Retrieved 23 October 2021 External links EditHanan al Shaykh biography at The Lebanese Women s Awakening The Locust and the Bird My Mother s Story at amazon com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hanan al Shaykh amp oldid 1122426745, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
