Leila Aboulela

Leila Aboulela is an award-winning novelist celebrated for her distinctive exploration of identity, migration and Islamic spirituality. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Aboulela was awarded the inaugural Caine Prize for African Writing and the PEN Pinter Prize in 2025. Her novels – including Bird Summons, Minaret, The Translator and The Kindness of Enemies – have been translated into fifteen languages. Aboulela’s most recent works include the novella A New Year, selected as a World Book Night title in 2025, and River Spirit, shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown Award and named a Best Book of the Year at The Herald and The New York Times. She is also the author of the short story collection, Elsewhere, Home, which won the Saltire Fiction Book Award. Born and raised in Sudan, Aboulela moved to Scotland in her mid-twenties, where she continues to live and write.