Ibrahim Al-Koni

Ibrahim Al-Koni (sometimes translated as Ibrāhīm Kūnī) (Arabic: ابراهيم الكوني‎) is a Libyan writer^[1][2] and one of the most prolific Arabic novelists.

Born in 1948 in the Fezzan Region, Ibrahim al-Koni was brought up on the tradition of the Tuareg, popularly known as "the veiled men" or "the blue men." Mythological elements, spiritual quest and existential questions mingle in the writings of al-Koni who has been hailed as magical realist, Sufi fabulist and poetic novelist.

He spent his childhood in the desert and learned to read and write Arabic when he was twelve. Al-Koni studied comparative literature at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow and then worked as a journalist in Moscow and Warsaw.

By 2007, al-Koni had published more than 80 books and received numerous awards. All written in Arabic, his books have been translated into 35 languages. His novel Gold Dust appeared in English in 2008.

Bibliography

• Ibrahim al-Koni, Anubis: A Desert Novel. Translated by William M. Hutchins
• Ibrahim al-Koni, Gold Dust. Translated by Elliott Colla. London: Arabia Books, 2008. ISBN 978-1-906697-02-0
• Ibrahim al-Koni, The Animists. Translated by Elliott Colla.
• Ibrahim al-Koni, The Bleeding of the Stone. Translated by May Jayyusi and Christopher Tingley.
• Ibrahim al-Koni, The Puppet. Translated by William M. Hutchins.
• Ibrahim al-Koni, The Seven Veils of Seth. Translated by William M. Hutchins. Reading, UK: Garnet Publishing, 2008. ISBN 978-1-85964-202-3

External links

• "A Celebration of Ibrahim al-Koni, the Desert, Russian Literature, and 'Swiss Sufism'" from the blog Arabic Literature (in English)
• Rawafed: Documentary Interview with Ibrahim Al-Koni. Alarabiya.net

References