Rabai al-Madhoun

Who is Rabai al-Madhoun?

Rabai al-Madhoun is a Palestinian journalist, novelist and writer. He was born in the village of al-Majdal in Palestine, near Ashkelon in present-day Israel. His family was driven out of Palestine in the 1948 Naqba. Madhoun grew up in the refugee camp of Khan Younis located in the Gaza Strip. He went to Alexandria University for higher education, and in 1973 turned to journalism as a career. He was also involved with the Palestinian liberation struggle in the 1970s as a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, but quit politics in 1980 to focus on writing full-time. As a journalist, he worked in Beirut,Nicosia and later on in London where he is now based. Currently a British citizen, Madhoun is an editor at the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

His books include both fiction and non-fiction. His debut novel The Lady from Tel Aviv was shortlisted for the Arabic Booker Prize in 2010. The novel has been translated into English by Elliott Colla.