Latest news with #LeilaAboulela
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Unfamiliar with PEN winner Leila Aboulela's work? Start with these 4 books
Sudanese-Scottish writer Leila Aboulela has won the 2025 PEN Pinter Prize. Her works delve into migration, faith, and identity. Her novels and short stories, often centered on Muslim women navigating cultural and spiritual landscapes, have earned global acclaim. Aboulela was the first winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing and has won both the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year Award and the Scottish Book Awards. Whether through historical epics or contemporary stories, her writing is a testament to the power of faith, memory, and belonging. If you are new to her writing or looking to revisit her works, here is a guide to her most compelling books. Publisher Grove Press, Black Cat Page 208 pages Paperback Rs 911 Leila Aboulela was instantly catapulted to literary spotlight after the release of her first novel, The Translator (1999). Nobel laureate J M Coetzee called it 'a story of love and faith all the more moving for the restraint with which it is written.' The semi-autobiographical novel was written in 1990 after the author moved to Aberdeen in Scotland. The book follows Sammar, a Sudanese widow working as an Arabic translator in Aberdeen, grieves the loss of her husband and separation from her son. When she begins translating for Rae, a Scottish Islamic scholar, their intellectual connection blossoms into love. Yet their relationship is tested by Rae's secular worldview and Sammar's deep religious convictions. Aboulela has described The Translator as 'a Muslim Jane Eyre.' Publisher Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press Page 188 pages Paperback Rs 1,471 This is the story of Najwa, once a privileged young woman in Khartoum, who flees Sudan after a political coup and finds herself working as a maid in London. Stripped of her former status, she turns to Islam for meaning, finding community in a mosque while reflecting on her past mistakes. Minaret (2005)is a deeply introspective novel about redemption, class, and the search for belonging. Aboulela has said that she wrote Minaret to show 'a woman's need for spiritual fulfilment is as urgent and as valid as her need for love, family and a career.' Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Pages:336 Kindle: Rs 355 Set in 1950s Sudan during the waning days of British colonialism, Lyrics Alley follows the Abuzeid family, a wealthy trading dynasty. When Nur, the heir to the family empire, is paralysed in an accident, his dreams of education and marriage collapse, exposing fractures within the household. Aboulela weaves a tapestry of Sudanese society, contrasting tradition with modernity through the perspectives of Nur's two wives: one yearning for Egypt's cosmopolitanism, the other rooted in Sudanese customs. The novel is both a family saga and a historical portrait, capturing a nation on the brink of independence. The novel won of the Scottish Book Awards. Publisher: Saqi Books Pages:336 Kindle: Rs 1,337 Aboulela's latest novel, released in 2023, transports readers to 19th-century Sudan during the Mahdist uprising against Ottoman-Egyptian rule. Akuany, an orphaned girl, is taken in by Yaseen, a Quranic scholar torn between loyalty to his people and resistance against the self-proclaimed Mahdi. Through multiple perspectives, River Spirit explores faith, colonialism, and resilience. Aboulela's prose brings to life a turbulent period in Sudanese history, blending political intrigue with human stories.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Who is Leila Aboulela, the Sudanese-Scottish writer who just won the 2025 PEN Pinter Prize?
Sudanese-Scottish author Leila Aboulela was named winner of the 2025 PEN Pinter Prize, on Wednesday, joining a prestigious list of writers who, in the spirit of Harold Pinter, have cast an 'unflinching, unswerving gaze upon the world.' The announcement was made at English PEN's annual summer party in London, where Khalid Abdalla (The Kite Runner, 2007) and Amira Ghazalla (Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, 2017) brought Aboulela's work to life in moving readings before an audience of writers, publishers, and cultural figures. Calling the honour 'a complete and utter surprise,' Aboulela said the award brings expansion and depth to the meaning of freedom of expression and the stories that get heard. 'For someone like me, a Muslim Sudanese immigrant who writes from a religious perspective probing the limits of secular tolerance, this recognition feels truly significant,' she said. Aboulela will formally receive the prize at a ceremony on October 10 at the British Library, where she will also announce the Writer of Courage, an individual persecuted for their work defending free expression, with whom she will share the honour. The title has previously been bestowed on figures such as British-Egyptian writer and activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah (2024) who was persecuted for 'spreading false news' and Uyghur folklore expert Rahile Dawut (2023), who was was reportedly sentenced to life in prison by Chinese authorities on charges of endangering state security. Born in Cairo and raised in Khartoum, Aboulela moved to Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1990. Her work explores the themes of migration, faith, memory, and the interior lives of Muslim women navigating the intersections of culture, belief, and belonging. Her novels, including The Translator (1999), Minaret (2005), and most recently, River Spirit (2023), have earned critical acclaim, have been translated into 15 languages, and are now studied in universities. Aboulela was the first winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing and has won both the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year Award and the Scottish Book Awards. She is an Honorary Professor at the University of Aberdeen and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. This year's judges, Ruth Borthwick, Chair of English PEN; poet and author Mona Arshi; and novelist Nadifa Mohamed, praised Aboulela for the force of her storytelling. 'Leila is a writer for this moment,' said Borthwick. 'She tells us rarely heard stories that make us think anew about who lives in our neighbourhoods and communities.' Arshi noted the 'subtlety and courage' with which Aboulela brings silenced lives to the forefront, while Mohamed lauded her for examining 'the interior lives of migrants' and writing with 'a commitment to make the lives and decisions of Muslim women central to her fiction.' The judges emphasised how Aboulela's work, spanning novels, short stories, and radio plays, provides 'a balm, a shelter, and an inspiration' amid global tumult and displacement, particularly poignant given the ongoing conflicts in Sudan, Gaza, and beyond. Named after the late Harold Pinter, the Nobel Laureate whose fierce moral clarity defined much of post-war British drama, the PEN Pinter Prize honours writers who exhibit what Pinter called an 'unflinching, unswerving' gaze upon the world. Since its inception in 2009, the award has recognized writers such as Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie (2018), Arundhati Roy (2024), and, Salman Rushdie (2014), who have consistently challenged political complacency through literature. The tradition continues in Aboulela's work. Aishwarya Khosla is a journalist currently serving as Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. Her writings examine the interplay of culture, identity, and politics. She began her career at the Hindustan Times, where she covered books, theatre, culture, and the Punjabi diaspora. Her editorial expertise spans the Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Online desks. She was the recipient of the The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections, where she studied political campaigns, policy research, political strategy and communications for a year. She pens The Indian Express newsletter, Meanwhile, Back Home. Write to her at or You can follow her on Instagram: @ink_and_ideology, and X: @KhoslaAishwarya. ... Read More
Arab News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Sudanese novelist Leila Aboulela awarded PEN Pinter prize for her work on migration
LONDON: Sudanese author Leila Aboulela has been named the winner of the 2025 PEN Pinter Prize, honoring her literary contributions that explore themes of faith, migration and the lives of Muslim women in displacement. The award was announced at English PEN's annual summer party on Wednesday at the October Gallery in London. Judges praised the author for her 'nuanced and rich perspectives on themes that are vital in our contemporary world: Faith, migration and displacement,' calling her work 'a balm, a shelter and an inspiration.' Aboulela, who grew up in Khartoum and has lived in Aberdeen, Scotland since 1990, is known for her six novels including 'Minaret,' 'The Translator,' a New York Times 100 Notable Books of the Year, and 'Lyrics Alley,' as well as two short story collections. Her latest collection 'Elsewhere, Home' won the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year Award. Aboulela's latest novel 'River Spirit,' which was published in 2023, portrays the period leading up to the British conquest of Sudan in 1898, shedding light on the complex human dimensions of the conflict between Britain and Sudan, Christianity and Islam, and the dynamics of colonizer versus colonized. On receiving the award, she said: 'For someone like me, a Muslim Sudanese immigrant who writes from a religious perspective, probing the limits of secular tolerance, this recognition feels truly significant. It brings expansion and depth to the meaning of freedom of expression and whose stories get heard.' She will officially receive the award at a ceremony at the British Library on Oct. 10, where she will also announce the recipient of the accompanying Writer of Courage award. This year's judging panel included poet and author Mona Arshi, novelist Nadifa Mohamed, and English PEN chair Ruth Borthwick, who praised Aboulela's work for its literary depth and social relevance. 'Leila Aboulela's writing is extraordinary in its range and sensibility,' Borthwick said. 'From jewel-like short stories to tender novels, she tells us rarely heard stories that make us think anew about who lives in our neighborhoods and communities, and how they navigate their lives.' Arshi said that the author 'offers us nuanced and rich perspectives on themes that are vital in our contemporary world: Faith, migration, and displacement,' while Mohamed praised Aboulela's work for centring 'the lives and decisions of Muslim women.' 'Her work is marked by a commitment to make the lives and decisions of Muslim women central, and to examine their struggles and pleasures with dignity,' Mohamed said. The PEN Pinter Prize was established in 2009 in memory of Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter. Previous winners include Arundhati Roy in 2024 and Michael Rosen in 2023.
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Leila Aboulela wins PEN Pinter prize for writing on migration and faith
Leila Aboulela has won this year's PEN Pinter prize for her writing on migration, faith and the lives of women. The prize is awarded to a writer who, in the words of the late British playwright Harold Pinter, casts an 'unflinching, unswerving' gaze on the world, and shows a 'fierce intellectual determination … to define the real truth of our lives and our societies'. Aboulela grew up in Khartoum, Sudan, and has lived in Aberdeen since 1990. Her six novels and two short story collections include The Translator, Elsewhere, Home and, most recently, 2023's River Spirit. 'This comes as a complete and utter surprise,' said the writer on hearing the news. 'For someone like me, a Muslim Sudanese immigrant who writes from a religious perspective probing the limits of secular tolerance, this recognition feels truly significant. It brings expansion and depth to the meaning of freedom of expression and whose stories get heard.' Aboulela was announced winner at English PEN's summer party on Wednesday evening, where actors Khalid Abdalla and Amira Ghazalla read from her work. She will receive the award on 10 October at the British Library in London, where she will announce her choice of winner for the PEN Pinter Writer of Courage award, given to an author 'active in defence of freedom of expression, often at great risk to their own safety and liberty'. Aboulela's work 'is marked by a commitment to make the lives and decisions of Muslim women central to her fiction, and to examine their struggles and pleasures with dignity,' said novelist Nadifa Mohamed, who judged this year's prize alongside the poet and author Mona Arshi and the chair of English PEN, Ruth Borthwick. 'In a world seemingly on fire, and with immense suffering unmarked and little mourned in Sudan, Gaza, and beyond, her writing is a balm, a shelter, and an inspiration.' Aboulela 'offers us nuanced and rich perspectives on themes that are vital in our contemporary world: faith, migration, and displacement,' said Arshi. 'She is not the first to write about the experience of migration, but Leila is a writer for this moment, and my hope is that with this prize her gorgeous books find new readers, and open our minds to other possibilities,' added Borthwick. Last year, Arundhati Roy won the prize, and selected the imprisoned British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah as Writer of Courage. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion The prize is awarded annually to writers resident in the UK, Ireland, the Commonwealth or the former Commonwealth. Previous winners include Michael Rosen, Malorie Blackman, Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and Hanif Kureishi.
