Hala Alyan

Last updated

Hala Alyan
Hala Alyan (160322.0057).jpg
Born (1986-07-27) July 27, 1986 (age 37)
Carbondale, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityPalestinian-American
Alma mater Rutgers University
Occupations
Awards2013 - Arab American Book Award
2018 - Dayton Literary Peace Prize
Website www.halaalyan.com

Hala Alyan (born July 27, 1986) is a Palestinian-American writer, poet, and clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma, addiction, and cross-cultural behavior. Her writing covers aspects of identity and the effects of displacement, particularly within the Palestinian diaspora. She is also known for acting in the short films I Say Dust and Tallahassee (directed by Darine Hotait). [1] [2]

Contents

Biography

Hala Alyan was born in Carbondale, Illinois, on July 27, 1986. Her family lived in Kuwait after her birth but sought political asylum in the United States when Iraqi forces invaded the country. [3]

She received her doctorate in clinical psychology at Rutgers University and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology at New York University. [4] She and her husband live in Brooklyn, New York. [5]

Awards and works

Alyan's poems have been published in various journals and literary magazines including The New Yorker, the Academy of American Poets, Guernica, Jewish Currents among others. [6] [7] [ non-primary source needed ] [8] [9]

In her first novel, Salt Houses, the Yacoub family is forced to leave their home in Nablus, Palestine in the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967. They move to Kuwait City and reluctantly try and rebuild their life. But when Sadam Hussein invades Kuwait in 1990, the family again lose their home, their land and their story, scattering to Beirut, Paris, Boston and beyond. [10] [11]

In 2013, Alyan's poetry collection, Atrium, received an award from the Arab American National Museum. [12] [13] In 2018, she won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, an award given to writers whose writing is believed to promote peace. [14] [15] She was also a visiting fellow at the American Library in Paris in the fall of 2018.

Her second novel, The Arsonists' City, was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on March 9, 2021 [16] to critical acclaim. [17] [18] [19] The novel is about the Nasr family, which reunites in Beirut to discuss the family patriarch's will, revealing family secrets and the impact of war and violence on the family. [20]

Bibliography

Novels

Poetry

Collections
Anthologies

Essays

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahmoud Darwish</span> Palestinian writer (1941–2008)

Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as Palestine's national poet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Za'atar</span> Levantine herb or herb blend

Za'atar is a culinary herb or family of herbs. It is also the name of a spice mixture that includes the herb along with toasted sesame seeds, dried sumac, often salt, as well as other spices. As a family of related Levantine herbs, it contains plants from the genera Origanum (oregano), Calamintha, Thymus, and Satureja (savory) plants. The name za'atar alone most properly applies to Origanum syriacum, considered in biblical scholarship to be the ezov of the Hebrew Bible, often translated as hyssop but distinct from modern Hyssopus officinalis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salam Fayyad</span> Palestinian politician

Salam Fayyad is a Jordanian-Palestinian politician who served as the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority and the finance minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May Ziadeh</span> Lebanese-Palestinian poet and writer

May Elias Ziadeh was a Lebanese-Palestinian poet, essayist, and translator, who wrote many different works both in Arabic and in French.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuwait</span> Country in West Asia

Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. Kuwait also shares maritime borders with Iran. Kuwait has a coastal length of approximately 500 km (311 mi). Most of the country's population reside in the urban agglomeration of the capital and largest city Kuwait City. As of 2023, Kuwait has a population of 4.82 million people of which 1.53 million are Kuwaiti citizens while the remaining 3.29 million are foreign nationals from over 100 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Palestine</span> Film industry in the State of Palestine

Cinema of Palestine is relatively young in comparison to Arab cinema as a whole. Palestinian films are not exclusively produced in Arabic and some are even produced in English and French. Elia Suleiman has emerged as one of the most notable working Palestinian directors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Jacir</span> Palestinian artist and filmmaker (born 1972)

Emily Jacir is a Palestinian artist and filmmaker.

Nawaf Salam is a Lebanese diplomat, jurist, and academic. He currently serves as the 27th president of the International Court of Justice. He was elected on 9 November 2017 as judge on the International Court of Justice for the 2018–2027 term, having received a concurrent majority of votes in the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. He served as Lebanon's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2007 to 2017, during which period he held the positions of President of the Security Council and Vice President of the General Assembly. He was elected as president of the International Court of Justice on 6 February 2024. Salam is the second Arab to be elected as president and the first Lebanese judge.

Tarif Khalidi is a Palestinian historian who now holds the Shaykh Zayid Chair in Islamic and Arabic Studies at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon.

<i>Arab Idol</i> Television series

Arab Idol is an Arabic television show, based on the popular British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment and developed by Fremantle Media and recorded in Beirut, Lebanon. The first season premiered on 9 December 2011. The show was broadcast worldwide on MBC 1 and simultaneously aired on LBC. The second season debuted on 8 March 2013, the third season on 5 September 2014, and the fourth season on 4 November 2016 on MBC.

Hind Shoufani is a poet, director, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anbara Salam Khalidi</span> Lebanese writer (1897–1986)

Anbara Salam Khalidi was a Lebanese feminist, translator and author, who significantly contributed to the emancipation of Arab women.

The third season of Arab Idol premiered on 5 September 2014. Auditions were held in Beirut, Bahrain, Kuwait, Algeria, Cairo, Alexandria, Dubai, Morocco, Palestine, Iraq and on the European continent, notably in Paris and Berlin. Emirates Airlines was a major sponsor of season 3. The winner of the season was Hazem Shareef from Syria.

Wael Arakji is a Lebanese basketball player for Lebanese Basketball League club Al Riyadi Club Beirut and the Lebanon national team. He is nicknamed "the Fearsome".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farah Al-Hashem</span> Kuwaiti film maker

Farah ALHashim is a Kuwaiti-Lebanese filmmaker and journalist based in Paris. ALHashim has been making films since 2011 including 7 Hours, which won several awards at film festivals in 2013 and Breakfast in Beirut in 2015, which was honored at multiple festivals.

<i>Salt Houses</i> 2017 book by Hala Alyan

Salt Houses is a 2017 historical fiction novel by Palestinian-American author Hala Alyan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wael Al-Dahdouh</span> Palestinian journalist (born 1970)

Wael Hamdan Ibrahim Al-Dahdouh, sometimes referred to in the Arab world by the kunya Abu Hamza, is a Palestinian journalist and the bureau chief of Al Jazeera in Gaza City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darine Hotait</span> American film director and writer

Darine Hotait is an American film director and writer of Lebanese descent. She is best known for her short films, I Say Dust, Like Salt, Tallahassee, and Sherman.

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. Abu Al-Hayat also worked as an actress and ran the Palestine Writing Workshop. Abu Al-Hayat played a prominent role in children's literature, writing and presenting television programs for children, including "Iftah Ya Simsim," and was distinguished by her writing of children's stories.

The Arsonists' City is Hala Alyan's second novel, published by HarperCollins in 2020. The book structure follows the Nasr family into the past and the present repeatedly to unfold the intergenerational trauma caused by war and secrets passed down from parents to children.

References

  1. ↑ Zaineldine, Amina (October 17, 2021). "'Tallahassee' Tackles Mental Health Stigma in Arab-American Communities". egyptianstreets.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  2. ↑ "I Say Dust". newfilmmakersonline.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  3. ↑ Keyes, Claire. "'Ink Knows No Borders' tells story of immigrant and refugee experience through poetry". North of Boston.
  4. ↑ "Hala Nafez Alyan | NYU Steinhardt". steinhardt.nyu.edu. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  5. ↑ Masad, Ilana (May 3, 2017). "Middle East, Middle Class: Pain and Privilege in Hala Alyan's 'Salt Houses'". Los Angeles. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  6. ↑ Alyan, Hala (December 1, 2014). "Meals". Missouri Review. University of Missouri. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  7. ↑ LaBerge, Peter; Biggs, Garrett (August 2017). "CAN I APOLOGIZE NOW". The Adroit Journal (22). Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  8. ↑ Magazine, Poetry (March 4, 2019). "Honeymoon by Hala Alyan". Poetry Foundation.
  9. 1 2 Being Palestinian : personal reflections on Palestinian identity in the diaspora. Yasir Suleiman. Edinburgh. 2016. p. 63. ISBN   0-7486-3403-7. OCLC   963672141.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ↑ "Salt Houses". Goodreads. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Code Switch Book Club, Summer 2019". NPR.org.
  12. ↑ "2013 Arab American Book Award Winners". Arab American National Museum. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  13. ↑ Foundation, Poetry (March 3, 2019). "Hala Alyan". Poetry Foundation.
  14. ↑ Hemley, Robin. "2018 Fiction Winner - Salt Houses". Dayton Literary Peace Prize. The Ohio Public Library Network. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Hala Alyan, Ta-Nehisi Coates win Dayton Literary Peace Prize". AP NEWS. September 19, 2018.
  16. ↑ "The Arsonists' City". Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: The Arsonists' City by Hala Alyan. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26 (464p) ISBN 978-0-358-12655-3". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  18. ↑ Salam, Maya (March 9, 2021). "A Family Reunites in Beirut, Where the Past Is Never Past". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  19. ↑ THE ARSONISTS' CITY | Kirkus Reviews.
  20. ↑ "The Arsonists' City". BookPage | Discover your next great book!. February 6, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  21. ↑ Alyan, Hala (January 28, 2024). "'I am not there and I am not here': a Palestinian American poet on bearing witness to atrocity". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  22. ↑ "The Power of Changing Your Mind". TIME. January 17, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  23. ↑ "What a Palestinian-American Wants You To Know About Dehumanization". Teen Vogue. December 20, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  24. ↑ Alyan, Hala; Darbha, Vishakha (November 1, 2023). "Opinion | If Palestinian Freedom Makes You Uneasy, Ask Yourself Why". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  25. ↑ Alyan, Hala (October 25, 2023). "Opinion | The Palestine Double Standard". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  26. ↑ "A Letter to my Husband – Hala Alyan". Emergence Magazine. January 21, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2024.

Further reading

Wael Salam. (2022) The Burden of the Past: Memories, Resistance and Existence in Susan Abulhawa's Mornings in Jenin and Hala Alyan's Salt Houses. Interventions 24:1, pages 31–48. doi : 10.1080/1369801X.2020.1863840

Wael Salam. (2022) The Palestinian Re-experience of Historical Violence: “A Wound Never Completely Scabbed Over”. English Studies 103:1, pages 94–112. doi : 10.1080/0013838X.2021.1997469

Salam, Wael J., and Safi Mahfouz. “Claims of memory: Transgenerational traumas,: fluid identities, and resistance in Hala Alyan’s Salt Houses.” Journal of Postcolonial Writing 56, no. 3 (2020): 296–309. doi : 10.1080/17449855.2020.1755718

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.