Mona Kareem

Mona Kareem (born 1987) is a writer, translator and literary scholar. She is also an advocate of migrant rights.^[1][2][3][4]

Kareem was born and reared in Kuwait. Her family is classified as Bidoon.^[5][6][3]

Education and career[]

Due to Kareem's stateless legal status, she was unable to attend a public university. Her academic history and poetic prowess earned her a scholarship from a charitable family in Kuwait. Kareem studied at the American University of Kuwait.^[5]

Kareem received a scholarship from Binghamton University in 2011. She moved to the US and obtained a doctoral degree in Comparative Literature. Her thesis, entitled “Good Mothers, Bad Sisters: Arab Women Writers in the Nation,” explored subalternity in the Arab literary scene.^{[5][7] [8]}

Kareem worked as a lecturer at Binghamton University and at the University of Maryland. She has held fellowships from Poetry International, Arab American National Museum, BANFF Centre, National Centre for Writing, etc. Kareem translated the novel Kindred by Octavia Butler and some poems of Alejandra Pizarnik into Arabic. She translated Instructions Within by Ashraf Fayadh (2017) and it was nominated for Best Translated Book Award. She is presently a translator-in-residence at Princeton University.^{[5][9][10][11]}

Having faced discrimination as a Bidoon, Kareem established Bedoon Rights. It is an online reference that's dedicated towards raising awareness on the prejudice and struggles the stateless face in Kuwait.^[12][3][6]

As a literary scholar, Kareem's research interests range from Arabic poetry and prose, contemporary feminist fiction, literary translation strategies and to subaltern subjectivities.^[8]

Poetry[]

Kareem's poetry is characterized by the use of simple language and vivid imagery. It is frequently arranged in short lines. The theme often deals with feminism and identity, especially as a migrant.^[13][14]

Works[]

At 14 years old, Kareem's poetry collection Naharaat maghsūla bi Ma-e el ’atash (Mornings Washed by Thirst’s Water) was published. She released her second anthology Ghiyab bi asabi’ mabthūra (Absence with Amputated Fingers) two years later. Kareem published Ma anamū min adjlihi el yaum in 2016. In 2019, she released trilingual poetry collection Femme Ghosts. Her books have been translated to nine languages.^[5][14][15]

References[]