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Literature 2025

Hoda Barakat

Lebanon/France

Hoda Barakat was born in Beirut in 1952 and moved to France in 1989. She studied French literature, worked as a professor and journalist, and authored several novels, plays, and articles, earning numerous Arab and international literary awards. She has received two prestigious medals of honour from the French state and is a founding member of the Montgomery College Institution for Arts and Sciences. Barakat writes her novels in Arabic, and her works have been translated into multiple languages. She currently teaches at Dartmouth College in the US.

About The Book

The novel explores a new and contemporary idea, revolving around the female protagonist who suffers from acromegaly. With a reflective narrative voice, it investigates the life of people who live on the margins of society. Barakat examines the psychological and physical challenges these individuals face, exploring beauty standards in various cultures through complex characters and a rich, analytical, and human-centric voice.

Published: 2024