Raja'a Alem (; born in 1956) is a Saudi Arabian novelist from

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

Hejaz Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...

. She studied English Literature at

King Abdulaziz University King Abdulaziz University (KAU) () is a public research university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1967 as a private university by a group of businessmen led by Muhammad Bakhashab and including author Hamza Bogary, it was named after ...

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

in 1980. She began her writing career on the "Letters and Ideas" page in Al-Riyadh newspaper, as well as in the newspaper's weekly supplement. She is credited with documenting the Meccan/Hejazi environment in her novels. Her novels are distinguished by a symbolic

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

Gnostic Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek: , romanized: ''gnōstikós'', Koine Greek: �nostiˈkos 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century AD among early Christian sects. These diverse g ...

narrative with broad cosmic visions. Some of her works have been translated into English and Spanish.

Life

Alem was born in

. She received her BA in English Literature and works as a tutor for the Center for Training Kindergarten Teachers in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. She is an active writer of prose and her style, a blend of modern style with traditional themes, is unique among Saudi authors. Alem has published several plays, three novels, and a collection of short stories, Nahr al-Hayawan (The Animal River, 1994). She is the recipient of several prestigious international prizes. Her short story "One Thousand Braids and a Governess" has been translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and published in ''Voices of Change: short stories by Saudi Arabian women writers''. Her birth in

and her family background is highly influential to her work and outlook. She has reflected on her relationship with the now overhauled and renovated city of Mecca, saying: Some of her works in Arabic have been banned. Writing in English was a significant decision for Alem. She has said:

"The fact is that my people are drifting away from their own culture, and many of them no longer have a clue about what I'm writing about. So I find myself looking for new ways to communicate, for other languages, and English was the first one that came to hand...'Coming out' in another language is a way of shedding inhibitions. All the things that made me feel ashamed lost their morbid grip on me and became acceptable. I’ve never read any of my books published in Arabic; it makes me feel completely naked. Reading them in another language, though, I feel alive in a poetic way."

Among her significant works are the books ''Khatam, Sayidi Wehadana, Masra Ya Rageeb, Hubba, The Silk Road,'' and other novels. She divides her time between Jeddah and Paris.

2011 International Prize for Arabic Fiction

Alem was joint winner of the 2011

International Prize for Arabic Fiction The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) (), also known as "the Arabic Booker", is regarded as the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world. Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing ...

for her novel '' The Doves' Necklace''. This renowned prize is administered by the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

Foundation in London, and is funded by Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi (DCT). She shared the prize with the Moroccan writer Mohammed Achaari.

Works

* ثقوب في الظهر (Thouqoub fi el-dahr) Beyrouth: Dar al Adab, 2006. * ستر (Sitr) Beyrouth : Dar al Adab, 2006. * الرقص على سن الشوكة (Al-raqs ala sinn al-shouka) Beyrouth: Dar al Adab, 2006. * طريق الحرير (Tariq al-harir) Beyrouth : Dar al Adab, 2006. * خاتم (Khatim) Beyrouth : Dar al-bayda, 2006.

Venice Biennale

In 2011, Alem represented Saudi Arabia with her sister, the artist Shadia Alem at the Venice Biennale. This was the first time that Saudi Arabia had entered the festival. Their work was entitled ''The Black Arch'' and referenced travel narratives, Hajj and the representation of women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alem, Raja'a Living people Saudi Arabian novelists 1970 births Saudi Arabian women novelists 21st-century novelists 21st-century Saudi Arabian writers 21st-century Saudi Arabian women writers International Prize for Arabic Fiction winners