Samir El-Youssef
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Samir El-Youssef (Arabic: سمير اليوسف) (born 1965) is a Palestinian writer and critic, who was born in Rashidia, a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, where he lived until he was ten, before moving to Sidon.[1] He emigrated to Cyprus in 1989 and since 1990 has been living in London, where he studied philosophy and gained a Master of Arts degree from the University of London. In 2000, he was granted British citizenship.[1]
He writes in both Arabic and English, and some of his work has been translated into German, Italian, Greek and Norwegian. In 2004, he co-authored a book with Israeli author Etgar Keret, called Gaza Blues: Different Stories.[2] His latest book, The Illusion of Return, published in 2007, is his first novel written in English. He is also an essayist with a wide range of interests including literature, politics, philosophy and cultural studies. His essays and reviews have appeared in major Arabic periodicals and newspapers such as the London-based Al-Hayat, as well as on openDemocracy.net, The Guardian's Comment is Free and in the New Statesman.
In 2005, Swedish PEN granted the Tucholsky award of 2005 to Samir El-Youssef.[1]
[edit] Bibliography
- Samir El-Youssef and Etgar Keret: (2004) Gaza Blues: Different Stories, London: David Paul, ISBN 978-0-954054-24-3
- Samir El-Youssef (2007) The Illusion of Return, London: Halban, ISBN 978-1-905559-07-7