Dima Wannous ( ar, ديمة ونوس) (born in Damascus in 1982) is a

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

writer and translator. She studied

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than Fr ...

Damascus University The University of Damascus ( ar, جَامِعَةُ دِمَشْقَ, ''Jāmi‘atu Dimashq'') is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through ...

and the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. Also, she studied translation in France and has lived in Beirut, where she worked for the newspapers ''Al-Hayat'' and ''As-Safir''. She has also worked for broadcast media (radio and TV).

Life and career

She caught the eye of literary critics with ''Tafasil'' (''Details''), a short story collection released in 2007, which describes the Syrian society focussing on different characters with "ironic-grotesque overtones" and showing how they bow to power. She published her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

''Kursi'' (''The Chair'') in 2008. She was named as one of the

Beirut39 Beirut39 is a collaborative project between the Hay Festival, Beirut UNESCO's World Book Capital 2009 celebrations, ''Banipal'' magazine and the British Council among others in order to identify 39 of the most promising Arab writers under the age o ...

, a group of 39 Arab writers under the age of 40 chosen through a contest organised by

Banipal ''Banipal'' is an independent literary magazine dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Arab literature through translations in English. It was founded in London in 1998 by Margaret Obank and Samuel Shimon. The magazine is published three tim ...

magazine and the

Hay Festival The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, better known as the Hay Festival ( cy, Gŵyl Y Gelli), is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, for 10 days from May to June. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and Peter Florence in 1988, t ...

. Her 2017 novel ''Kha'ifoun'' (''The Frightened Ones''), describes the life of a young woman in Damascus during the civil war who receives a manuscript by a former lover who fled to Germany. The book was shortlisted for the 2018 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, and has been translated into English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Turkish, and Norwegian. Her narrative style has been described by critics as "sober and often painfully precise". Dima is the daughter of Syrian playwright

Saadallah Wannous Saadallah Wannous ( ar, سعد الله ونوس) (1941 – 15 May 1997) was a Syrian playwright, writer and editor on Arabic theater. He was born in the village of Hussein al-Bahr, near Tartous, where he received his early education. He studied ...

. She is married to the Syrian journalist Ibrahim Hamidi and lives with him in London.Bozar
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References

Syrian women novelists Syrian novelists Syrian women short story writers Syrian short story writers 1982 births Writers from Damascus Living people University of Paris alumni 20th-century novelists 20th-century women writers 20th-century translators 20th-century short story writers Syrian Alawites 20th-century Syrian women writers 20th-century Syrian writers 21st-century Syrian women writers 21st-century Syrian writers {{Asia-translator-stub