Wajdi al-Ahdal (, born 1973) is a

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

i novelist, short story writer and playwright.

Laureate In English, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary awards or Military awards and decorations, military glory. It is also used for recipients of the Nobel Prize, the Gandhi Peace Award, the Student Peace Pri ...

of the

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 ...

(IPAF) in 2008, is known for his contemporary literary style and sometimes socially critical works, some of which have been censored in Yemen. Until 2019, he has published five novels, four collections of short stories, a play and a film screenplay.

Life and career

Wajdi al-Ahdal was born near Bajil in the province of

Al Hudaydah Hodeidah (), also transliterated as Hodeda, Hodeida, Hudaida or al-Hudaydah, is the fourth-largest city in Yemen and its Hudaydah Port, principal port on the Red Sea and it is the centre of Al Hudaydah Governorate. As of 2023, it had an estimate ...

and studied at the University of Sanaa. His first short stories were published in 1995 in a Yemeni newspaper, and later in ''Aswat'' magazine, which was edited by Yemeni poet Abdul Aziz al-Maqaleh. In 2002, al-Ahdal's novel ''Qawarib Jabaliya'' (Mountain Boats) was confiscated by the Yemeni Ministry of Culture for insulting ‘morality, religion, and conventions of Yemeni society’. To avoid imprisonment, he spent some time in exile in Syria before being able to return to Yemen. A more recent novel, ''The Quarantine Philosopher'' was nominated for the

(IPAF) in 2008. In 2010, al-Ahdal was selected as one of the invited writers for

Beirut39 Beirut39 is a collaborative project between the Hay Festival, Beirut UNESCO's World Book Capital 2009 celebrations, '' Banipal'' magazine and the British Council among others in order to identify 39 of the most promising Arab writers under the age ...

, a group of 39 Arab writers under the age of 40, chosen through a contest organised by Banipal magazine and the

Hay Festival The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, better known as the Hay Festival (), is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, for 10 days from May to June. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and Peter Florence in 1988, the festival was d ...

. He was also chosen by IPAF to be one of the seven participants in its writers' workshop ''Nadwa'' in 2010. al-Ahdal's works have been translated into English in a number of anthologies: * ''Oranges in the Sun: Contemporary Short Stories from the Arabian Gulf'' (2006) * ''Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World'' (2010) * ''Emerging Arab Voices: Nadwa 1: A Bilingual Reader'' (2011) * ''Banipal 36: Literature in Yemen Today'' *''Banipal 65'': Contains a chapter from his novel ''Land of Happy Conspiracies'' His novel '' A Land without Jasmine'' was translated into English by William M. Hutchins. This translation won the 2013 Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation. According to the Banipal Trust, "Wajdi’s book is in a category all its own, fusing together elements of police procedural, myth, fable, psychological thriller and scathing social critique." He currently works in the cinema and drama department of the Yemeni

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

References

External links

Excerpt from Wajdi al-Ahdal’s novel ''Donkey in the Choir'' in English translation
at wordswithoutborders.org
Wajdi al-Ahdal's story ''‘Saghira’s Laws’''
translated into English and illustrated for a special website by Yemen Policy Center {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahdal, Wajdi al- 1973 births Living people Yemeni writers 21st-century Yemeni novelists Yemeni dramatists and playwrights Sanaa University alumni People from Al Hudaydah Governorate

Life and career

See also

References

External links