Humphrey Davies

Humphrey Davies has tackled translation of Arabic works from almost every era. He has translated books from the 1600s, such as Yusuf al-Shirbini’s Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded; the 1800s, including works by Muhammad ibn ʿUmar al-Tunisi and Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq; to the modern era, such as works by Alaa Al-Aswany, Elias Khoury, Baha Taher, Hamdi el-Gazzar, Muhammad Mustagab and Mourid Barghouti.
Before publishing his first translated work in 2003, Davies worked for community development and research organizations in several countries around the Middle East. He has received the Banipal Prize twice as well as the English PEN.
Davies read Arabic at the University of Cambridge and received his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. Before publishing his first translation in 2003, he worked for community development and research organizations in Palestine, Tunisia, Sudan and Egypt.
Davies now works at the American University in Cairo.