Jokha Alharthi ( ar, جوخة الحارثي) also spelt al-Harthi, is an
Omani
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
writer and academic, known for winning the
Man Booker International Prize
The International Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize) is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize was announced ...
in 2019 for her novel published in English under the title ''Celestial Bodies''. She has written four novels in Arabic, of which two have been translated into English.
Biography
Born in 1978, Alharthi was educated in Oman and in the United Kingdom. She obtained her
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
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in classical Arabic literature from the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, graduating in 2011. In 2010, Alharthi was offered a professorship in classical Arabic literature at
Sultan Qaboos University
Sultan Qaboos University, located in Al Seeb in the Muscat Governorate, is one of the two public universities in the Sultanate of Oman.
Most students entering the university are selected based on their performance in high school final examina ...
in
Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is s ...
, Oman. As of 2021, she is an
associate professor
Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''.
Overview
In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...
. Alharti has three children.
Alharthi has published three collections of short stories, three children's books, and four novels (''Manamat'', ''Sayyidat el-Qamar,'' ''Narinjah, and Harir al-Ghazala)''. She has also authored academic works. Her work has been translated into English, Serbian, Korean, Italian, and German and published in ''
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. She was also one of eight participants in the 2011
IPAF Nadwa
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction Nadwa is an annual writers' workshop for young writers from the Arab world. Held under the aegis of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (itself funded by the Emirates Foundation in Abu Dhabi), the ...
(writers' workshop). Alharthi won the Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature, for her novel ''Narinjah'' (''Bitter Orange'') in 2016.
''Sayyidat el-Qamar'' was shortlisted for the Zayed Award 2011. An English translation by
Marilyn Booth
Marilyn Louise Booth (born 24 February 1955) is an author, scholar and translator of Arabic literature. Since 2015, she has been the Khalid bin Abdullah Al Saud Professor for the Study of the Contemporary Arab World at the University of Oxford and ...
was published in the UK by Sandstone Press in June 2018 under the title ''
Celestial Bodies
An astronomical object, celestial object, stellar object or heavenly body is a naturally occurring physical entity, association, or structure that exists in the observable universe. In astronomy, the terms ''object'' and ''body'' are often us ...
'', and won the
Man Booker International Prize
The International Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize) is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize was announced ...
2019. ''Sayyidat el-Qamar'' was the first work by an Arabic-language writer to be awarded the Man Booker International Prize, and the first novel by an Omani woman to appear in English translation. The Man Booker International Prize judges heralded the book as "A richly imagined, engaging and poetic insight into a society in transition and into lives previously obscured."
As of 2020, translation rights to ''Sayyidat el-Qamar'' have been sold in Azerbaijani, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, English, French, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Malayalam, Norwegian, Persian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Sinhalese, Slovenian, Swedish, Turkish.
In March 2020 she appeared in a panel discussion at
Adelaide Writers' Week
Adelaide Writers' Week, known locally as Writers' Week or WW, is a large and mostly free literary festival held annually in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Considered one of the world's pre-eminent literary events, it forms part of the ...
, along with Iranian-American journalist
Azadeh Moaveni
Azadeh Moaveni (Persian: آزاده معاونى, born 1976) is an Iranian-American writer, journalist, and academic. She directs the Gender and Conflict Program at the International Crisis Group, and lectures on journalism at New York Universi ...
and Lebanese-British journalist
Zahra Hankir.
Alharthi's second book to be translated by Marilyn Booth into English is ''Bitter Orange Tree.''
wrote a review in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' which was critical of the novel. She comments, "Aided by Booth’s deft touch, some parts affirm the author’s talent for lyrical shifts between past and present, memory and folklore, oneiric surrealism and grimy realism. Yet structural flaws and an overambitious global reach make for a patchy read." In ''Washington Post'', Ron Charles wrote that the book is an "exquisitely sensitive novel", but that it "spins its wheels without going anywhere."
''Harir al-Ghazala'', Alharti's fourth novel to be published in Arabic, tells the story of a woman who was abandoned at birth. It was published by Lebanese publishing house Dar Al Adab in 2021.
Bibliography
''Manamat'' (Beirut: Lebanon: al-Mu'assassah al- 'Arabiyah li al-Dirasat wa al-Nashr, 2004).
''Sayyidat el-Qamar'' (Beirut, Lebanon: Dār al-Ādāb, 2010).
''Narinjah'' (Beirut, Lebanon: Dār al-Ādāb, 2016). ''Bitter Orange Tree'', trans. Marilyn Booth (New York: Catapult, 2022).
''Harir al-Ghazala'' (Beirut, Lebanon: Dār al-Ādāb, 2021).
See also
*
Huda Hamed
Huda Hamed (Arabic: هدى حمد) is an Omani writer and journalist born in 1981. She has published five collections of short stories and four novels. In 2009, her short story collection ''Things Are Not Where They Should Be'' won the Sharjah ...
*
Nura al-Badi
Nura 'Abd Allah al-Badi (born 1969) is an Omani poet.
Al-Badi is a resident of Al Buraimi. She studied at the College of Languages and Translation of Ajman University, and by profession works in the field of education. One volume of her poetry, ...
*
Nasra Al Adawi
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alharthi, Jokha
1978 births
Omani women writers
Omani academics
Living people
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Sultan Qaboos University faculty
Omani short story writers
Omani novelists
21st-century short story writers
21st-century novelists
21st-century women writers
Women short story writers
Women novelists
International Booker Prize winners