Laila Lalami
Encyclopedia
Laila Lalami is a Moroccan American novelist and essayist.
Lalami was born and raised in Rabat
, Morocco
, where she earned her B.A. in English from Université Mohammed V
. In 1991, she received a British Council
fellowship to study in England, and she went on to complete a M.A. in Linguistics
at University College London
. After graduating she returned to Morocco and worked briefly as a journalist and commentator. In 1992 she moved to Los Angeles
where she earned a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Southern California
.
Lalami switched to writing fiction and nonfiction in English in 1996. She has published literary criticism and political essays in The Boston Globe, Boston Review
, The Los Angeles Times
, The Nation
, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, and elsewhere.
Lalami became the first Moroccan author to publish a book of fiction written in English with a major commercial press in the United States.
Her debut collection of stories, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits
, was released in the fall of 2005 and has since been translated into six languages. Her first novel, Secret Son, was published in the spring of 2009 and was longlisted for the Orange Prize.
Lalami is the recipient of an Oregon Literary Arts grant and a Fulbright
Fellowship. She was selected by the World Economic Forum
as a Young Global Leader in 2009.
She is currently Associate Professor
of Creative Writing
at the University of California, Riverside
.
Lalami was born and raised in Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, where she earned her B.A. in English from Université Mohammed V
Mohammed V University
Mohammed V University was founded in 1957 under a royal decree . It is the first modern university in Morocco.The university is named after Mohammed V d. 1961, the former King of Morocco. In 1993, it was divided into two independent universities:* Mohammed V University at Agdal* Mohammed V...
. In 1991, she received a British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
fellowship to study in England, and she went on to complete a M.A. in Linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. After graduating she returned to Morocco and worked briefly as a journalist and commentator. In 1992 she moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where she earned a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Lalami switched to writing fiction and nonfiction in English in 1996. She has published literary criticism and political essays in The Boston Globe, Boston Review
Boston Review
Boston Review is a bimonthly American political and literary magazine. The magazine covers, specifically, political debates, literature, and poetry...
, The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, and elsewhere.
Lalami became the first Moroccan author to publish a book of fiction written in English with a major commercial press in the United States.
Her debut collection of stories, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits
Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits
Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits is a 2005 novel by Moroccan American author Laila Lalami. First published in the US, it offers a wider view of the immigration phenomenon from North Africa to Europe.-Plot summary:...
, was released in the fall of 2005 and has since been translated into six languages. Her first novel, Secret Son, was published in the spring of 2009 and was longlisted for the Orange Prize.
Lalami is the recipient of an Oregon Literary Arts grant and a Fulbright
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
Fellowship. She was selected by the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
as a Young Global Leader in 2009.
She is currently Associate Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Creative Writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
at the University of California, Riverside
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...
.