Muhammad Abi Samra - Beirut Noir

Tarek Abi Samra(b. 1983) is a short-story writer and freelance journalist born and living in Beirut. He writes in both French and Arabic. He holds a BA in clinical psychology and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the same field.

Najwa Barakatwas born in Beirut and has lived in Paris since 1985. She has worked as an independent journalist for various Arabic newspapers and magazines as well as the BBC and RFI. Barakat has written five award-winning novels in Arabic, most of which have been published by Dar al-Adab in Beirut and translated into a number of European languages. She has also written one novel in French, La locataire du Pot de Fer . Since 2005, she has run writing workshops to discover previously unknown talents.

Abbas Beydoun(b. 1945) is a Lebanese poet, novelist, and journalist, born in Tyre, Lebanon. He has published numerous volumes of poetry, which have been widely translated; English translations of his poetry have appeared in Banipal magazine. He has also published six novels, two of which have been translated into English. Beydoun has been cultural editor of the Beirut-based newspaper As-Safir since 1997.

Bana Beydoun(b. 1982) has been writing poetry for ten years. She published her first poetry collection, The Guardian of Illusion , in 2012. She studied cinema at the Jesuit University in Beirut and the Sorbonne in Paris. She has also directed a number of short films, including A Moment Alone (2001), Sanayeh Bath (2004), and Ninar (2004). She currently works as a journalist in Lebanon and is a film critic for the newspaper al-Akhbar .

Leila Eidis a Lebanese novelist and poet born in the Shouf, Lebanon. She lives in Beirut where she works as a journalist for the national news agency. She has published a novel, Pub Number Two , and two collections of poetry, From Where, I Don’t Know and Sometimes I Dance.

Rawi Hageis a writer and a visual artist, born in Beirut and currently residing in Montreal. His first novel, De Niro’s Game , won the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, among other major prizes. Cockroach , his second novel, was also a finalist for many prestigious awards. His latest novel, Carnival, is about the beautiful, twisted existence of life in the modern city, told from the perspective of a taxi driver, and was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust Award and won the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction.

Michelle Hartmanis a literary translator from Arabic and French into English, and associate professor of Arabic literature at the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University. Her translations include Muhammad Kamil al-Khatib’s Just Like a River (cotranslated with Maher Barakat), Alexandra Chreiteh’s Always Coca-Cola and Ali and His Russian Mother , and Iman Humaydan’s Other Lives and Wild Mulberries , which was runner-up for the Banipal Prize for the best novel translated from Arabic in 2009.

Bachir Hilal(b. 1947–2015) was a lawyer and writer born in Lebanon. He wrote a weekly column on political issues for the Arabic daily newspaper al-Hayat . His short stories and poetry have been published in the culture sections of many Arabic-language newspapers. He moved from Beirut to Paris during the Lebanese Civil War.

Iman Humaydanis a Lebanese writer, creative writing instructor, translator, editor/publisher, journalist, and cofounder and current president of the Lebanese PEN association who splits her time between Beirut and Paris. Her novels B as in Beirut, Wild Mulberries , and Other Lives have been translated into English and other languages; her most recent novel is Three Ounces of Paradise . She is the screenwriter for the acclaimed film Here Comes the Rain, and coauthor of the documentary Asmahan: Une Diva Orientale.

Hala Kawtharani(b. 1977) is editor-in-chief of the pan-Arab weekly Laha magazine. She is the author of four Arabic novels: al-Usbu‘ al-Akhir ( The Final Week ), Studio Beirut, Ali al-Amerkani ( Ali the American ), which won the 2013 Sharjah Book Fair prize for Best Arabic Novel, and Karisma (Charisma), all published by Dar al-Saqi. Kawtharani holds an MA in Arabic literature and a BA in political studies from the American University of Beirut.

Zena el Khalil(b. 1976) has lived in Lagos, London, New York City, and Beirut. A visual artist, writer, and cultural activist, el Khalil works in a variety of formats ranging from painting, installation, performance, mixed media, collage, and writing. She has exhibited internationally, and held solo exhibitions in Lagos, London, Munich, Turin, and Beirut. Her memoir, Beirut, I Love You , was translated into several languages including Italian, Spanish, Swedish, and Portuguese.

Mazen Maarouf(b. 1978) is a Palestinian poet, writer, and journalist born in Beirut. He has published three collections of poetry: The Camera Doesn’t Capture Birds, Our Grief Resembles Bread, and An Angel Suspended on the Clothesline . His poetry has been translated into many languages, and the South Lebanon Council honored him in 2009. His first collection of short stories is forthcoming.

Alawiya Sobh(b. 1955) was born in Beirut and has published novels, poetry, literary criticism, and journalism. Her novels have been translated into several European languages and have won a number of important literary prizes. She frequently lectures about women’s issues, among other subjects, throughout the Arab world and beyond.