Samar Yazbek
Encyclopedia
Samar Yazbek is a Syrian writer and journalist. She was born in Jablé in 1970, and studied Arabic literature
at university. She has written in a wide variety of genres - novels, short stories, film scripts, television dramas, film and TV criticism. She has made a documentary about the Syrian scholar Anton Maqdesi. In the past, she has edited Women of Syria, a feminist e-zine.
Yazbek has been a prominent voice in support of human rights and wonmen's rights in Syria. Her debut novel, called Tiflat as-Sama (Heavenly Girl), challenged existing taboos in Syrian society. She is a member of the minority Alawite
community, but is an opponent of the regime of her co-religionist President Bashir al-Assad. She took part in the 2011 protests against the Assad regime,
and subsequently was detained by security forces and also banned from travelling outside Syria.
In 2010, Yazbek was selected as one of the Beirut39
, a group of 39 Arab writers under the age of 40 chosen through a contest organised by Banipal
magazine and the Hay Festival
.
Arabic literature
Arabic literature is the writing produced, both prose and poetry, by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is adab which is derived from a meaning of etiquette, and implies politeness, culture and enrichment....
at university. She has written in a wide variety of genres - novels, short stories, film scripts, television dramas, film and TV criticism. She has made a documentary about the Syrian scholar Anton Maqdesi. In the past, she has edited Women of Syria, a feminist e-zine.
Yazbek has been a prominent voice in support of human rights and wonmen's rights in Syria. Her debut novel, called Tiflat as-Sama (Heavenly Girl), challenged existing taboos in Syrian society. She is a member of the minority Alawite
Alawite
The Alawis, also known as Alawites, Nusayris and Ansaris are a prominent mystical and syncretic religious group centred in Syria who are a branch of Shia Islam.-Etymology:...
community, but is an opponent of the regime of her co-religionist President Bashir al-Assad. She took part in the 2011 protests against the Assad regime,
and subsequently was detained by security forces and also banned from travelling outside Syria.
In 2010, Yazbek was selected as one of the Beirut39
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 of 39...
, a group of 39 Arab writers under the age of 40 chosen through a contest organised by Banipal
Banipal
Banipal is an independent literary magazine dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Arab literature through translations in English. It was founded in London in 1998 by Margaret Obank and Samuel Shimon. The magazine is published three times a year...
magazine and the Hay Festival
Hay Festival
The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales for ten days from May to June. Devised by Norman and Peter Florence in 1988, the festival was described by Bill Clinton in 2001 as "The Woodstock of the mind"...
.