Shaykha al-Nakhi
Shaykha Mubarak al-Nakhi (Arabic: شيخة مبارك الناخي; born 1952) is a writer in the United Arab Emirates, the first Emirati woman to publish a short story. In addition to a pioneer of the short story in the UAE, she is considered one of the country's best-known women writers.[1][2][3][4][5]
Nakhi was born in 1952 in Sharjah, a city in the United Arab Emirates.[1][2] She studied humanities at the United Arab Emirates University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1985, and later earned a degree in education in 1997.[1][2][3] She has worked as an educator since 1971, including as principal of a girls' school.[1][2]
In 1970, Nakhi became the first Emirati woman to publish a short story when her story "Al-Rahil" ("The Departure") appeared in a Dubai magazine.[1][2][3] "Al-Rahil" went on to win a short story prize from the country's Ministry of Youth.[3] She published a short story collection of the same name in 1992.[1] This was followed by the collections "The North Wind" in 1997 and "Playing the Strings of Joy" in 2007, which dealt with issues affecting Emirati women.[3][6][7][8] She also wrote a novel, Qisat Al Raheel ("Story of Departure").[9] Her work has been published in French translation,[10] and in 2009, her story "Threads of Delusion" was published in English translation in the collection In a Fertile Desert.[11]
In 1990, she helped found an organization for Emirati women authors, and she worked to produce its magazine Voice of Women, sometimes described as the first women's magazine in the UAE.[1][2][3][6] She is also a founding member of the Emirates Writers Union[1][2][3] and participates in literary festivals in the country.[12]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ashour, Radwa; Ghazoul, Ferial; Reda-Mekdashi, Hasna (2008-11-01). Arab Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide, 1873-1999. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 978-1-61797-554-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g "من هي شيخة مبارك سيف الناخي؟". Manhom (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hassan, Othman (2019-08-01). "شيخة الناخي.. رائدة القصة القصيرة". Al Khaleej (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ Torstrick, Rebecca L.; Faier, Elizabeth (2009). Culture and Customs of the Arab Gulf States. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-33659-1.
- ^ Tahboub, M. Daoud (2000). Short Story in the U.A.E. Cultural Department, Ministry of Information and Culture, U.A.E.
- ^ a b "شيخة مبارك الناخي". Sayidaty (in Arabic).
- ^ "رياح الشمال : قصص قصيرة". Altibrah (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ "الـعـزف على أوتـار الـفـرح". Arabic Bookshop (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ Al Obeidli, Noura (January 2020). Emirati women journalists bargaining with patriarchy in search of equality (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Westminster.
- ^ "French translation of UAE short stories released in Paris". Emirates News Service. 2001-07-08. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ In a fertile desert : modern writing from the United Arab Emirates. OCLC 680621236. Retrieved 2021-06-16 – via WorldCat.
- ^ "Abu Dhabi Festival Continues to Celebrate Inspiring Arabic Literature with Riwaq Al Adab Wal Kitab". Abu Dhabi Festival. 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2021-06-16.