Laila Abdullah (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
: ليلة عبدالله) (born 1982) is an Omani writer, poet, and critic living in the
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
.
She is known for her novel revolving upon children's life in war, ''
Farho's Notebooks.''
Career
Abdullah used to write a blog titled ''Breathing Slowly.'' and a weekly column in some Omani and Arab newspapers including
Emirati and
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 ...
newspapers ''
AlRoeya'', and London newspaper ''
Al-Arab
''Al-Arab'' or ''Alarab'' ( ar, العرب meaning ''The Arabs'') is a pan-Arab newspaper published from London, England, and sold in a number of countries.
History and profile
The paper was launched in London on 1 June 1977, as a secular pa ...
''.
She has a number of published works including poetry,
children literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
, literary studies, and short story collections, and her poetical works were translated into several languages including
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
and
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...
.
She started her career off with
free verse
Free verse is an open form of poetry, which in its modern form arose through the French '' vers libre'' form. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech.
Defini ...
poetry, but later on she leaned more towards storytelling.
List of Publications
Awards
* ''The Qualms of the Room of the Worlds'' (هواجس غرفة العالم - 2014) - 2015 Best Essay Edition Award in
Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...
* ''My Storytelling Creatures'' (كائناتي السردية - 2015) - 2016 Best Short Story Book Award in
Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...
* ''Farho's Notebooks'' (2018 - دفاتر فارهو) - shortlisted for
Sheikh Zayed Book Award
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is a literary award begun in the UAE. It is presented yearly to "Arab writers, intellectuals, publishers as well as young talent whose writings and translations of humanities have scholarly and objectively enriched Arab ...
in 2019
Reviews
Talib Al-Rafai expressed in his article how Laila Abdullah tends to show knowledge upon a novel's dimension, and recognizing the elements of a fiction scene, delivering portrayals of
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
and
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
* Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that i ...
Citizens through the landscape she expresses in the novel.
Additionally, a review in ''
Independent Arabia'' discusses how in ''
Farho's Notebooks,'' Abdullah's narrative transfers through different forms of storytelling, one that is inclined towards the beginning, becoming heavy throughout the details upon the conflict of the novel, transferring to an ordinary form eventually to describe the course of a normal life.
See also
*
Sheikh Zayed Book Award
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is a literary award begun in the UAE. It is presented yearly to "Arab writers, intellectuals, publishers as well as young talent whose writings and translations of humanities have scholarly and objectively enriched Arab ...
*
Children's literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdullah, Laila
Living people
1982 births
Emirati people of Omani descent
Omani women poets
Omani poets
Literary critics of Arabic
Omani children's writers