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Ibtisam Azem | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974 (age 51–52) Tayibe, Israel |
| Education | Hewbrew University of Jerusalem (BA)
Freiburg University (MA) New York University (MA) |
| Occupations | Writer, novelist, journalist |
Ibtisam Azem is a Palestinian writer, novelist, and journalist based in New York, where she is a correspondent for Arabic newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. She has written two novels, The Sleep Thief (2011) and The Book of Disappearance (2014), the latter of which was longlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize for its English translation published by And Other Stories the previous year.[1] She released a short story collection entitled City of Strangers in 2025.
Early Life and Career
[edit]Ibtisam Azem was born in Taybeh, near Jaffa. She studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before attaining an MA in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies from Freiburg University, minoring in German and English Literature.[2][3] Azem also holds an MA in Social Work from New York University.[2][3]
She has previously worked as a producer and correspondent for Deutsche Welle's Arabic service, and as of 2026 was a senior correspondent for Al-Araby Al-Jadeed covering the United Nations from New York.[4] In addition, she has published short stories and essays in several anthologies and magazines, such as Evergreen Review, Jadaliyya, and World Literature Today.[5][6][7]
Azem published her first novel, The Sleep Thief, in 2011. It follows Gharib Haifawi, a Palestinian man under interrogation, in a dream-like account of his life.[8] An English translation by Sinan Antoon was published by independent publisher And Other Stories in 2026.[9]
Her second novel, The Book of Disappearance, followed in 2014. Set in Jaffa, after all Palestinian Arabs spontaneously vanish from Israel, it follows Israeli Ariel Levy who finds the diary of his Palestinian neighbour and friend Alaa Assaf. Originally published in Arabic by Dar al-Jamal in Beirut, it was translated into English by Sinan Antoon in 2019. The English translation was published first in the US by Syracuse University Press, before a 2024 edition by And Other Stories was released in the UK.[10][11] This edition was longlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize.[1]
Azem released a book of short stories entitled City of Strangers in 2025.[12][4]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "The International Booker Prize 2025 | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
- 1 2 "Ibtisam Azem". And Other Stories. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- 1 2 "Ibtisam Azem: Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025 | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- 1 2 "Ibtisam Azem". Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ "Contributors F/W 2019". Evergreen Review. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ جدلية, Jadaliyya-. "Ibtisam Azem ابتسام عازم". Jadaliyya - جدلية. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ "No One Looks at Their Back in the Mirror, by Ibtisam Azem". World Literature Today. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ "The Sleep Thief by Ibtisam Azem: book review – The Skinny". www.theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ "The Sleep Thief". And Other Stories. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ "Book of Disappearance, The – Syracuse University Press". Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ "The Book of Disappearance". And Other Stories. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ "مدن الغريب - ابتسام عازم - مكتبة تكوين". takweenkw.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2026-10-01.