Faleeha Hassan (born 1967) is an Iraqi poet living in New Jersey.[1]
Early life and education
editHassan was born and raised in Najaf. She was a precocious reader as a child, but her schooling was interrupted in 1980 when her middle school was closed for the Iran–Iraq War.[1] She would eventually earn a masters in Arabic Literature from the University of Kufa in 2006.[1][2]
Career
editHassan began teaching high school in 1988.[1]
In 1991, she became the first woman in Najaf to publish a book of poetry, titled Because I Am a Girl.[2]
In 2012, she became the first woman in Iraq to publish a book of poetry for children, "A Dream Guard."
She fled Iraq after her name appeared on a militant group's death list in 2011.[2][3] She fled first to Eskişehir in Turkey, then to Afyonkarahisar, where she insisted her children be allowed to attend school in order to stay warm.[3] After working with the United Nations office in Ankara, she was accepted into the United States by a Roman Catholic charity.[2][3] She moved into New Jersey in 2012.[2]
Awards and honours
edit- World Association of Arab Translators and Linguists (WATA)
- The Najafi Creative Festival for 2012
- The Prize of Naziq al-Malaika 2008
- The Prize of al-Mu'temar for poetry 2010
- The short-story prize of the Shaheed al-Mihrab Foundation
- Srbrun Poveilu Silver Medal from Mesopotamia cultural center Belgrade– Serbia 2018
- Pulitzer Prize Nomination 2018 for Breakfast for Butterflies[4]
- Pushcart Prize Nomination 2018
- Pushcart Prize Nomination 2019
Books
edit- Because I Am a Girl (1991)
- A Visit to the Museum of the Shadows (1998)
- Five addresses for my friend the sea (2000)
- Even after while (2008)
- Splinters(2008)
- Lack of the Happiness Cells (2008)
- Mom's Poems(2010)
- Water Freckles (2010)
- A Dream guard (2012)
- I Hate My City (2013)
- Let's Strongly Celebrate My Day (2015)
- If Columbus did not discover America (2015)
- SWALLOW (2016)
- We grow up at speed of war (2016)
- Lipstick (2016)
- Mass Graves (2018)
- When I drink tea in a New Jersey (2018)
- Breakfast for Butterflies (2019)
- A Butterfly's Voice (2020)
- War and Me (2022)
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 Dudley, Graham (2016-06-06). "Iraqi poet Faleeha Hassan: Forged in war, fueled by hope". NonDoc. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Morgan, Kate. "Faleeha Hassan, "the Maya Angelou of Iraq," Wields a Mighty Pen". Oprah.com. Archived from the original on 2025-04-26. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- 1 2 3 "Faleeha Hassan: My Life as a Refugee". Empty Mirror. 2018-01-19. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ↑ Niven, Felicia L. (2023-02-28). "Profile: A Poet's Journey". SJ Mag Media. Retrieved 2025-10-20.