Dima Wannous

Syrian writer and translator (born 1982)

Dima Wannous (Arabic: ديمة ونوس; born 1982 in Damascus, Syria) is a Syrian literary writer and journalist. She studied French literature at Damascus University and the University of Paris - Sorbonne. She also 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

Wannous first became known 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.^[1] She published her debut novel Kursi (The Chair) in 2008. In 2009, she was named as one of the Beirut39, a group of 39 Arab writers under the age of 40 chosen through a contest by Banipal magazine and the Hay Festival.^[2]

Her 2017 novel Kha'ifoun (The Frightened Ones), describes the life of a young woman in Damascus during the Syrian civil war who receives a manuscript by a former lover who had fled to Germany. The book was shortlisted for the 2018 International Prize for Arabic Fiction,^[3] and has been translated into English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Turkish, and Norwegian.^[4]^[5]

Her narrative style has been described as "sober and often painfully precise".^[6]

Dima Wannous is the daughter of Syrian playwright Saadallah Wannous.^[7] She is married to the Syrian journalist Ibrahim Hamidi^[8] and both live in London.^[9]

References

^ internationales literaturfestival berlin
^ "Banipal (UK) Magazine of Modern Arab Literature - Contributors - Dima Wannous". www.banipal.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
^ "Shortlist Announced for International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2018 | International Prize for Arabic Fiction". www.arabicfiction.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
^ "The Frightened Ones by Dima Wannous review – love and loneliness in Syria". The Guardian. 15 April 2020.
^ "Review of the Norwegian translation of Kha'ifoun – An almost claustrophobically intimate novel". Morgenbladet. 29 October 2021.
^ "Book review: Dima Wannousʹ "Die Veraengstigten": Naked despair laid bare | Qantara.de". qantara.de. 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
^ internationales literaturfestival berlin
^ internationales literaturfestival berlin
^ Bozar^{[permanent dead link]}