Najwa Binshatwan


Najwa Bin Shatwan is a Libyan academic and novelist, the first Libyan to ever be shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
She has authored four novels: Waber Al Ahssina ; Madmum Burtuqali ; Zareeb Al-Abeed and Roma Termini, in addition to several collections of short stories, plays and contributions to anthologies. She was chosen as one of the thirty-nine best Arab authors under the age of forty by Hay Festival’s Beirut 39 project. In 2018, she was chosen from hundreds of Arab writers for the 2018 Banipal Writing Fellowship Residency at the University of Durham and in 2020, she was chosen to co-lead a series of creative writing workshops in Sharjah for Arab writers. Also, she was chosen as a member of jury in various literary awards.

Biography

Najwa Binshatwan was born in 1970 in Ajdabiya, Libya. She obtained a master's degree in education, after which she worked as a lecturer at Garyounis University. She also completed a doctoral degree in humanities from La Sapienza University in Rome, Italy. Her doctoral research focused on the slave trade in Libya and the repercussions on Libyan society and organization in the Ottoman period.

Works

Bibliography taken from the Beirut39 writers' biographies.

Novels

  • – "Best Arabic Novel Prize" at the Sudanese al-Begrawiya Festival in Khartoum –. It was published by “Dar Rewayat” – Sharjah –
  • – “Dar Al-Saqi” – Beirut – – Shortlisted in the International Award for Arabic Fiction –
  • – “Dar Charquiat” – Cairo–

Translated Books

  • – Stories – – “Dedalus Books” – UK –
  • – Novel – “Syracuse University Press” – USA –

Short Stories Collection

  • – “Dar Mintad” – Kuwait –
  • –“Riad El-Rayyes Books” – Beirut –
  • – “Dar Athar” – Saudi Arabia –
  • “al-Jadaa Salha” – “Dar al-Khayal” – Beirut –
  • – “General Cultural Council” – Libya– –
  • – “General Cultural Council” – Libya –
  • “Qissass Laysat Lil-Rijal” – “Dar Al-Hadara Al-Arabiya” –

Plays

Al-Metaf,.

Anthologies

  • – “Disruption: New Short Fiction from Africa” – “Catalyst Press” – USA –
  • – “The American Way” – “Comma Press” – UK –
  • –ArabLit Magazine –
  • – Vienna –
  • – Index on Censorship Magazine –
  • –ArabLit Magazine –
  • – Adi Magazine –
  • – The Offing Magazine –
  • , Words Without Borders Magazine –
  • – ArabLit Magazine –
  • – “Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations” – “Comma Press” – UK –
  • – Banipal Magazine – issue No. 40 about collection of Libyan Fiction – UK –
  • – "Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World" – “Bloomsbury” – USA –
  • – “Translating Libya: In Search of the Libyan Short Story” – al-Saqi Books – UK –

Awards

  • “Armando’s Virtuous Crime” –
  • “Catalogue of a Private Life” – won the
  • "Soudfa Jariaa" –
  • – won the ArabLit Story Prize –
  • – St Aidan's College – University of Durham –
  • – shortlisted in the International Award for Arabic Fiction –
  • – Hay Festival – she was chosen as one of the 39 best Arab authors under the age of 40 –
  • – "Best Arabic Novel Prize" at the Sudanese al-Begrawiya Festival in Khartoum –
  • "Al Metaf" – the Sharjah Festival award of Arab Creativity –