Success stories of Palestinian achievers from all over the world

Maya Abu Al Hayat

Personal Info

  • Country of residence: Palestine
  • Gender: Female
  • Born in: 1980
  • Age: 41
  • Curriculum vitae :

Information

Maya Abu al-Hayat (1980) is a Palestinian novelist, poet, storyteller and translator, born in Beirut. She has published three novels and three collections of poetry. Her books have gained worldwide recognition and some of her stories have been translated into different languages. She also worked as an actress and ran the Palestine Writing Workshop. Abu Al-Hayat played a prominent role in the field of children's literature, writing and presenting television programs for children, including "Iftah Ya Simsim", and was distinguished by her writing of children's stories.

Abu Al-Hayat was born to a Lebanese mother and a Palestinian father.

Abu Al-Hayat moved between Amman and Tunisia before settling in the occupied city of Jerusalem, Palestine, with her family.

Abu Al-Hayat created her own family, and gave birth to Kayan, Catherine and Mia.

She received her BA in Civil Engineering from An-Najah National University in Nablus in 2003.

Abu Al-Hayat worked as a storyteller and actress, where she played a role in the movie “Love, Theft and Other Problems” directed by Muayad Alyan. She also headed the Palestine Writing Association, which specializes in encouraging reading by organizing programs to teach creative writing, and producing stories for children and young adults. In addition, she managed the Palestine Writing Workshop.

Abu al-Hayat wrote novels, poetry and children's stories. She published her first novel, “The Sugar Beans” in 2004, followed by her first collection of poetry, “What She Said About It” in 2007. She made her contributions to the field of children’s literature, writing for several children’s television programs, including “Open Sesame” and produced with them a set of stories, including “Masouda” The Turtle and Kiki and Coco in the Clinic. For many years, she presented children's program such as “Farhan and Friends” on Palestine TV. Some of her stories have been translated into other languages, including “The Bedtime Story” into Swedish and published in Sweden, and “The Pool of Blue Questions” into English and published in the United States of America. Abu al-Hayat herself has also translated a number of international novels into Arabic, including “Kolka” by Bengt Olson, “The Old Man Who Broke All Barriers” by Catherine Engelman, and “The Red Bird” by Astrid Lindgren.

Novels
“Beads of Sugar”, Palestinian House of Poetry, Ramallah, 2004.
“Threshold of Heavy Soul”, Ugarit Foundation, 2011.
“When my father returns – the sixth stage – a beginner”, Asala Publishing, Beirut, 2014.
“Home Dresses and Wars”, Al Ahlia for Publishing and Distribution, Amman, 2016

Children's Stories
“A Bedtime Story”, Tamer Institute for Community Education, Ramallah, 2011.
Masouda Al-Solfa, Dar Al Hodhud for Publishing and Distribution, Dubai, 2015.

Poetry books
“What She Said About It,” Palestinian House of Poetry Publications, 2007.
“That smile..that heart”, Raya Publishing and Translation, Haifa, 2012.

her translations
“The Red Bird” by Astrid Lindgren, Tamer Foundation for Community Education, 2012.
“Kolka” by Bengt Olson, Dar Al Mona, Giza, 2017.
“The Old Man Who Broke All Barriers” by Catherine Engelman, Dar Al Mona, Giza.

 

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Achievements and Awards

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