Branch of Storytelling

Mrs. Rawaa Sanbal – Syria (Head of the Department of Short Story)

(b. 1979) is a Syrian short-story writer, playwright, and children’s author, as well as a pharmacist based in Damascus. She has built a notable presence in contemporary Arabic narrative through story collections including The Tongue Hunter (winner of the Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity), The Wife of a Green Dragon and Other Colored Tales, and Do Yik. She has also written for children and young adults—I Dream of Flying, Grandfather Abu al-Farashat, and The Girl Who Carried Her House—alongside stage texts such as The Keeper of Tales and Croak. Her work has garnered major Arab awards and recognitions (the Arab Theatre Authority—adult and children’s categories; Diwan Al-Arab; longlists of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award; the Sard al-Dhahab shortlist; and the Al-Multaqa Prize). Her stories have been selected for international anthologies, including The Penguin Book of the International Short Story (Penguin Press, 2025) and Best Translated Short Stories 2024 (Deep Vellum).