Sara al-Jarwan (Arabic: سارة الجروان; born 1969) is an Emirati novelist, short story writer and playwright.[1] [2] [3] Born in Ajman, she joined the UAE armed forces as a soldier just before the 1991 Gulf War. This experience was the basis of a book (Yawmiyaat Mujannada or Diary of a Recruit) as well as a play. She also served as an editor of Dara al-Watan, the magazine of the armed forces.
She is regarded as the first Emirati woman to have published a novel (Shajan Bint Al-Qadar Al-Hazeen, published in 1992). Since then, she has written three more novels, a short story collection, and a book of Emirati folk tales. She has won several awards including the Best Emirati Book prize in 2003 and the Al Owais Prize for best novel in 2012.
She was a participant in the 2012 IPAF Nadwa. Her work has appeared in translation in Banipal magazine.