Zoulfa Katouh Explained

Zoulfa Katouh (born March 29, 1994) is a Canadian author of young adult fiction. Her debut novel, As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow, was published in 2022.[1]

Life and career

Katouh was born on March 29, 1994, in Calgary, Canada, but was raised between Dubai and Switzerland, where she has completed her master's degree in drug sciences.[2] She is of Syrian descent.

Her debut novel, As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow, was the first book by a Syrian author to be published by Bloomsbury Publishing and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She began writing it in 2017.[3] It was published in September 2022 in both the United States and the United Kingdom.[4] It was a finalist for the 2023 Governor General's Awards, an annual Canadian collection of recognition of distinction in various fields. She is the winner of the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award 2023 [5] and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal (literary award), Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing 2024.[6] Her debut novel has been translated into twenty-three languages.

Personal Life

She is a fan of BTS, Taylor Swift, Hayao Miyazaki, and Cinnabon.

References

  1. News: ‘Hopefully, my book can reach someone who can help the people who have been displaced from their homes in Syria’ . Middle East Monitor . September 16, 2022.
  2. News: Hassanein . Deana . Osman . Nadda . 2022-09-30 . As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow: Syrian author Zoulfa Katouh on survivor’s guilt and hope . 2024-03-07 . Middle East Monitor.
  3. Web site: Eyre . Charlotte . 2022-06-20 . Zoulfa Katouh 'I really wanted to show Muslims who don’t reject their religion' . 2024-03-08 . The Bookseller . En.
  4. Web site: Ulatowski . Rachel . 2022-09-13 . Interview: Zoulfa Katouh Talks Revolution & Muslim Representation in 'As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow' . 2024-03-08 . The Mary Sue . en.
  5. Web site: Amy Mathers Award: Past Winners and Finalists . Canadian Children's Book Centre . April 17, 2023.
  6. Web site: Writing Nominated Titles 2024 . Yoto Carnegies . April 17, 2023.