Omaima Al-Khamis

An acclaimed Saudi novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. Holding a degree in Arabic Literature from King Saud University, Al-Khamis is recognized as one of the most prominent and authoritative historical novelists in contemporary Arabic literature. She achieved monumental international literary prominence after winning the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature from the American University in Cairo Press (2018) for Voyage of the Cranes in the Cities of Agate. She is a three-time celebrated author with the International Prize for Arabic Fiction —having been longlisted for The Leafy Tree (2010), Voyage of the Cranes in the Cities of Agate (2019), and The Al Musharaq Family’s Aunt (2026). Author of acclaimed works including Sailors (Al-Bahriyat) and Saja’s Visit, Al-Khamis is renowned for her rich archival excavation, luminous classical prose, and profound defense of rationalism, intellectual freedom, and human enlightenment.