Leila Aboulela
Encyclopedia
Leila Aboulela Arabic 'ليلى ابوالعلا' is a Sudanese writer and playwright
. She writes in English.
, Egypt
, Aboulela grew up in Khartoum
, Sudan
, where she attended the Khartoum American School
and Sister School. She graduated from Khartoum University in 1985 with a degree in Economics and was awarded an MSc and an MPhil degree in Statistics
from the London School of Economics
.
Aboulela also lived for many years in Aberdeen
, where she started to write while looking after her family. She currently (2010) lives in Doha.
was nominated for the Orange Prize and was chosen as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times in 2006. Her second novel Minaret
was nominated for the Orange Prize and the IMPAC Dublin Award. Her latest novel Lyrics Alley is set in the Sudan of the 1950s and was long-listed for the Orange Prize 2011. Lyrics Alley was the Fiction Winner of the Scottish Book Awards and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize -Europe and S.E Asia.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. She writes in English.
Personal life
Born in 1964 CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Aboulela grew up in Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, where she attended the Khartoum American School
Khartoum American School
Khartoum American School, founded in 1957, is an international school in Khartoum, Sudan. The school features an American/international curriculum that strives to be student-centered and inquiry-based...
and Sister School. She graduated from Khartoum University in 1985 with a degree in Economics and was awarded an MSc and an MPhil degree in Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Aboulela also lived for many years in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, where she started to write while looking after her family. She currently (2010) lives in Doha.
Literary career
She was awarded the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2000 for her short story The Museum included in her collection of short stories Coloured Lights. Her novel The TranslatorThe Translator
The Translator is Egyptian-born Sudanese and British educated writer Leila Aboulela's first novel, published in 1999. The Translator is a story about a young Sudanese widow living in Scotland and her sprouting relationship with Islamic scholar Rae Isles....
was nominated for the Orange Prize and was chosen as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times in 2006. Her second novel Minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
was nominated for the Orange Prize and the IMPAC Dublin Award. Her latest novel Lyrics Alley is set in the Sudan of the 1950s and was long-listed for the Orange Prize 2011. Lyrics Alley was the Fiction Winner of the Scottish Book Awards and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize -Europe and S.E Asia.
Prizes/Awards
- 2000 Caine Prize for African Writing, "The Museum"
- 2000 Saltire SocietySaltire SocietyThe Saltire Society was established in 1936 to encourage everything that might improve the quality of life in Scotland and restore the country to its proper place as a creative force in European civilisation....
Scottish First Book of the Year Award (shortlist), "The Translator" - 2002 PENInternational PENPEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
MacmillanMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
Macmillan Silver PEN Award (shortlist), "Coloured Lights" - 2003 Race and Media Award (shortlist - radio drama serialisation), "The Translator"
- 2011 Short-listed for the Commonwealth Writers Prize- Europe and S.E Asia, "Lyrics Alley"
- 2011 Fiction Winner of the Scottish Book Awards, "Lyrics Alley"
External links
- http://www.leila-aboulela.com
- http://www.nytimes.com/ref/books/review/20061203notable-books.html
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/20/AR2007072002147.html
- http://www.sudanese.net/index.php?showforum=753
- Leila Aboulela's radio plays