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Dima Wannous

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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

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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]

See also

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References

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