Samīra al-Māni' (born 1935) is an

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

i writer.

Biography

Samīra al-Māni' was born in

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

and received a BA in Arabic literature from the

University of Baghdad The University of Baghdad (UOB) (, also known as Baghdad University) is a public university, public research university in Baghdad, Iraq. It is the largest university in Iraq and the tenth largest in the Arab world. History The College of Isl ...

. She moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1965 and earned a diploma in librarianship from Ealing Technical College there in 1976. In 1985, she co-founded ''al-Ightirab al-adabi'' (Arabic: الإغتراب الأدبي, al-ʾiġtirāb al-ʾadabī, Literature in Exile), a literary journal for Iraqi exiles. She participated in the

International Writing Program The International Writing Program (IWP) is a writing residency for international artists in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Since 2014, the program offers online courses to many writers and poets around the world. Since its inception in 1967, the I ...

at Iowa University in 1990. In that same year, she also attended the

International Festival of Authors The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), previously known as the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), is an annual festival presented in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Since 1974, the mission of TIFA programming has be ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Her short stories have been translated into English and Dutch.

Literary work

Her work often depicts Arab women attempting to adapt to life in other countries.

Life

She is married to Salah Niazi the Iraqi poet; the couple have two daughters.

Selected works

* ''al-Sabiqun wa-l-lahiqun'' ("The First and the Last"), novel (1972) * ''al-Ghina ("Singing"), short stories (1976) * ''al-Thuna'iya al-Lunduniya'' ("A London Sequel"), novel (1979) * ''Hab! al-surra'', novel (1990), published in English as ''Umbilical Cord'' (2005) * ''al-Nisf faqat'' ("Only A Half"), play (1994), staged at the International Centre for Women Playwrights in Buffalo * ''al-Qami'un'' ("The Oppressors"), novel (1997) * ''al-Ruh wa ghayruha'' ("The Spirit and Other Things"), short stories (1999)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mani, Samira al- 1935 births Living people University of Baghdad alumni Iraqi women writers 20th-century Iraqi novelists Iraqi women novelists Iraqi dramatists and playwrights Women dramatists and playwrights Iraqi short story writers International Writing Program alumni British people of Iraqi descent 21st-century Iraqi novelists