Humphrey T. Davies is a leading translator of Arabic literature into the English language and twice winner of the Banipal Prize. He studied Arabic at Cambridge University, obtaining a first class degree, and pursued further studies at the American University in Cairo and at the University of California, Berkeley, where he completed his PhD in 1981.[1]
Davies' first published translation was a short story by Sayed Ragab, which appeared in Banipal magazine in 2000. Since then, he has translated several well-known works of Arabic literature, including Alaa Al-Aswany's international bestseller The Yacoubian Building. Other translations include:
Davies has acknowledged his debt to the American University in Cairo in their commitment to translating contemporary Arabic fiction. Other outlets include Banipal magazine and the Words Without Borders website. Davies has lived in Cairo for the last 35 years.