Resume of the Saudi Writer and Litterateur Zaineb Ahmed Hefni
Writer, Poet, Storyteller and Novelist
Saudi nationality, born in Jeddah in 1960
1993: Bachelor degree from Islamic Science, College of Education Humanities, King Abdulaziz University
She Started working in journalism in 1987
She moved in number of Saudi local newspapers
Wrote in several Arab magazines such as the Egyptian magazine “Sabah Al Khair”, a London magazine “the man”.
She has also written weekly articles in the opinion pages of the “Asharq Alawsat” International Newspaper for 5 years
She written a weekly article in viewpoints pages in the UAE Newspaper “Al-Ittihad” for ten Years.
Her articles are marked by the boldness, highlighting the social, human and political dimensions raised in Arab and International arenas
according to many Arab critics, Zainab Hefni is classified as one of the most important contemporary Arab Literature who enriched Arab literary with their creativity.
Her sentimental “A letter to a man” was published in 1993
Her group of stories: “your restriction or my freedon” published in 1994, “Women at the Equator,” published in 1996, and “there are things disappear” in 2002.
Her group of stories “Women at the Equator,” which was published in 1996 by Dar Al Shorouq Egyptian, raised a lot of confusion because of its content and led to the confiscation of copies and her arrest and was prevented from travelling. A revised edition was then issued in 2006 by the Arab Institute for Studies and Publication.
A novel ” Dance to the tambourine” published in Cairo in 1998.
A book “Middle East Mirrors” includes many of her publications in “Asharq Alawsat” International Newspaper published by Dar Tlass in 2001
Her complete works published by Dar Tlass in 2003
A novel ” I no longer cry” by Dar Al-Saqi in 2003
“female Rhythms” prose poetry from Dar Mokhtarat in 2004.
A Novel ” Features” published in 2006 by Dar Al-Saqi
A Novel “Crooked legs” in 2008 by Arab Institute for Studies and Publication, It was later published in another edition in 2014 by Hachet Antoine.
A Novel ” A pillow for your ,love” 2011 by Dar Al-Saqi
A novel ” Do you recieve my talk” published in 2012 by the Arab Foundation for Studies and Publishing.
A Novel ” the notorious mind” published in 2015 by Hachet Antoine.
A Book ” My Dreams Are Still Waiting” is a life vision. Issued in 2016 by the General Authority for Culture Palaces. And includes a large part of the dialogues and the most important testimonies provided by many Arab countries.
A novel (the devil sometimes likes) in 2017 from the house of Hachette Antoine.
Her novel “The Devil Sometimes Loved” came to the short list of the Sheikh Zayed Award for the Arts Branch in 2018.
The novel (Yesterday I was here) 2020, from Dar Nawfal / Hachette Antoine.
She has participated in Book Fair at Cairo International Convention in 2000, to speak in an open meeting with Egyptian fans about the summary of her works
She participated in meeting of woman and writing in 2004 in Asphy City in morocco with a paper titled: “my story with the letter”.
She participated in the first female seminar “The woman, the creativity and the history” with a paper titled: “the woman and her role in making the history” besides a poetic evening in Al Qadi Ayyad’s university / Mlal’s son / Morocco April 2005
She got a training course on the International matters to the human rights in Geneva Institute for Human Rights from 3-13 April 2006
She got a training program on Introduction to Journalism from Birkbeck college in London/ Britain in 2005.
She got a training program on Interview Skills from Birkbeck college in London / Britain in 2006
She participated in the first forum of the European Arab dialogue, which was held in Paris from 26 – 27-and- 28 April 2006. with a paper titled: “we and the other in the Arab and European media”.
She participated in Sanaa conference on the democracy, the political reform and the freedom of expression, which was held in Sanaa on 25 – 26 June 2006
She participated in the woman and writing meeting in Asphy City in Morocco from 20-21 and 22 July 2006, with a paper titled: “my dreams…my secret life”.
The Cultural commitment Forum held a literary evening for her in Dammam on 2 August 2006 where she spokes about her creative experience
She took part in the Arab meeting “the female participation in the Arab parliaments” which was held in Amman city in Jordan on 11 – 12 / 9 / 2006, with her paper “I came here to apologize”.
She participated in an international seminar on supporting the Palestinian women that was organized by the parliamentary group of the Labor Party in Algiers on 9-10 – 11 December 2006.
She was one of the participant in the sixth Doha Cultural Festival that was held from 21 March to 5 April 2007, where she gives an interposition about the seminar on “the literature and the exile”.
Within the events of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, that was supervised by the Frankfurt Book Exhibition, the writer took part in the discussion about “the Arab media and the woman in both Islamic and Arab worlds” on Friday 6 April 2007.
On 14 may 2007, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Khaled Al Nahyan Cultural Center in Al Ain city in The United Arab Emirates hold a special seminar to the writer to debate her novel “features”.
She participated in a the discussion about the woman literature in Arab Gulf area that was held in French Cultural Center in Algeria on Thursday 24 may 2007.
She participated in narrative reading in the first forum of the GCC short story writers which was organized by the cultural salon under the supervision of Qatar’s National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage, in the period from 20 – 23 – 1 -2008.
She took part in the activities of the Fourth Sanaa Festival for story and novel by giving certificate about her creative experiences under the title (writing . . . another life’s project ), from 26 -28 / 7 / 2008.
She Participated in the twenty-third session of Asilah forum in Morocco by presenting a paper at a symposium on (the elites, the authority and the democracy in the Arab world) which was held from 12-14 August 2008.
The Saudi litterateur was hosted by the Arab Organization for electronic information in Tripoli on 4-5/11/2008, where a symposium for her literature works was held and attended by a number of Libyans and Arabs literary and writers. This visit was the first of its kind for the Saudi female writer to Libya, and the first Arab country to honor her
The Club Alumni and Forum Association in ahrain had hosted the Writer on Saturday 14 February 2009 to deliver a speech titled “Hijazi’s Woman between yesterday and today”.
On Monday, February 23, 2009, By the invitation of Sheikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, the Board of Trustees of Sh. Ebrahim Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research/Bahrain, the writer talked about her creative experience, entitled “I am indebted to my freedom of writing” in Abdullah Al Zayed House for Bahraini Press Heritage.
She participated in an open meeting on the side line of the International Book Exhibition in Tunis on April 2009, where she talks about her group creative works. She also took part in symposium of the Arabic novel in the early twentieth century on 2 may 2009 beside a number Arab culture and the literatures.
The American University in Cairo hosted her in discussion circle on (revolution in Saudi women’s literature: Zainab Hafni as a role model), in the East Hall in Tahrir Square on Tuesday, May 31, 2011. The seminar was chaired by Dr. Bahgat Qarni, director of the University Forum, and the comment was given by Dr. Azzedine Shokri Fashir, Al-Majali Top Culture Secretary General, and Dr.. Yasmin Farooq, professor from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at the University of Cairo.
The writer participated in a special symposium on the sideline of Cairo International Book Fair that was held on February 4, 2010 to discuss her novel “The crooked legs.”
Hosted by American University in Cairo in a panel discussion (the revolution in Saudi women’s literature: Zainab Hefni model). The seminar was chaired by Dr. Bahjat horns board administrator University, and participated in the commentary by Dr.. Ezzeddine Choukri Vhir Secretary General of Evacuee Top of culture, and d. Yasmin Farooq professor at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at the University of Cairo, in Tahrir Square East Room on Tuesday, May 31.
Invitation of the Festival of the spouse of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters co-writer Zainab Hefni in the evening with the narrative critic Fahd Hussein from Bahrain and novelist Fawzia Howaish of Kuwait in the hall of National Library of Kuwait on Wednesday, January 25, 2012.
She participated in the 6th Cairo International Forum for Arab Fiction with a testimony about her novel experience entitled “ME, Freedom and the Love of Writing” on 17 March 2015.
A symposium was held at the Barwaq Aousha Bint Hussain Cultural Center in Dubai, under the name of “Arab Intellectuals Symposium .. Between Exclusion and Attendance” on December 26, 2015.
She participated in the first International Exhibition of Creativity from 4 to 8 April 2018 in Tunis, and presented a paper entitled “Creative Women and the Obstacles of Creativity” and was honored at the Forum.
Some of her short stories have been translated into English, French, Dutch, beside that the magazine “Banipal” translated the first chapter of her novel “I do not cry” in to the English language.
Her novel (features) was translated into Italian in 2020 by Jouvence, Italy
Her novel, Features, was translated into Kurdish in 2022 by Aras Publishing House, Erbil / Iraqi Kurdistan.
She has signed her books in the most of Arab Countries, and she has been hosted in important Arab salons and in a number of the known Arab satellite channels. She spoke through these meetings about summary of her works and about the Saudi woman’s rights exactly, and her permanent defense about the freedom of expression that preoccupies the International public opinion. Besides a great amount of press conferences that were held with her, through newspapers and different Arab and International prints.