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Farah Al-Baddawi, young Jordanian author seeks to highlight local talent
By Razan Abdelhadi, Jordan News
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AMMAN — When you hear of a novelist or writer, the first image that may come to mind is a person in their mid-thirties or forties. However, this is not the case for Farah Al-Baddawi, a Jordanian author in her twenties who has published four literary novels and social books in both Arabic and English. اضافة اعلان
Baddawi holds a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature and a master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy. In addition, she is a wife, mother, employee, and author. Currently, she holds a new dream of obtaining a doctorates degree.
“I am a woman who believes that nothing is impossible, as long as I am alive. I’m a woman who works today to achieve her dreams tomorrow,” said Baddawi in an interview with Jordan News.
Baddawi’s journey began when she was an undergraduate student after reading “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde.
Baddawi shared that: “This book took me to another world, where I traveled to many countries while staying at my place. During that time, I felt just how interested I am in writing and that it was my real passion.”
“One of the professors, at that time, had asked us to read the novel and write our opinion about it,” she said and continued, “I can say that this was the true beginning of my career as a novelist; as the professor wrote on the homework paper ‘you are the future novelist.’ This greatly impacted me and was the greatest motivation that brought me to where I am now.”
Undated photo of Farah Al-Baddawi. (Photo: Handout from Farah Al-Baddawi)
The novelist shared that publishing four different books was not easy and that her experience was full of obstacles. However, she still believed in the importance of moving forward despite the hardships and obstacles.
“It was definitely not easy to produce any of my books, but every time I intended to launch a new book, I only thought about the result and only saw my goal in front of me. Of course, any achievement you will obtain one day will never come easily, but you will find that difficulties add a special flavor to your success when the dream comes true,” she said.
Regarding the main obstacles that Baddawi faced throughout her career, she stressed that she had always suffered from “The lack of supportive entities for the Jordanian writer, especially youth, in addition to the high cost of producing books, and the lack of attention from Arab media outlets, especially the local ones when it comes to supporting and highlighting new talents, as well as the lack of adequate social, and material support.”
The author stressed that: “The Arab world is mired with many complex problems and is constantly keen to solve them, but most of the time we completely forget to talk about the cultural crisis that many ignore.”
She also explained that: “Those in positions based on cultural upbringing should raise awareness among citizens about the importance of reading and even encourage school and university students to read. If we want to compare ourselves to a western reader, for instance, they will surely win, no doubt, and there is some blame on the family and the schools too.”
Due to the versatility of writing, Baddawi believes that many different messages can be conveyed using literature, whether it is writing or reading.
“In every book, there is a new message that I want to deliver. For instance, my message in my first novel ‘Amal’ is that hope is the path of life, no matter how unfair life is,” she said.
Baddawi released her latest book “Shabab ‘Ala Kadr Ahl Al-Azm,” a few weeks ago. She shared that this book is essential as it presents a beautiful picture of her country, Jordan.
“In my latest book, I presented a series of success stories amongst young Jordanian entrepreneurs to let the whole world know that Jordan is rich in human resources, the most important of which is entrepreneurial youth.”
However, amongst her four books and novels, Baddawi claimed that: “The latest book is the only one that has received the support of the Ministry of Culture. I wish that this support would continue to help me achieve more.”
On the other hand, the novelist, who is a new mom, stressed that while being a mother for the first time is a “sacred task,” it is also one of the most challenging jobs that she has done.
“I cannot say that life is perfect, but with the help of my husband and my mother-in-law, everything becomes easier,” she shared.
She pointed out that this is just the beginning and that she has many dreams to achieve despite all the difficulties she might face.
“I dream of obtaining a scholarship to complete my doctorates degree and to become the Minister of Culture one day ... I have many dreams, and one of them is to create a platform to support young writers and to let my novels reach the whole world.”
Read more Lifestyle
Baddawi holds a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature and a master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy. In addition, she is a wife, mother, employee, and author. Currently, she holds a new dream of obtaining a doctorates degree.
“I am a woman who believes that nothing is impossible, as long as I am alive. I’m a woman who works today to achieve her dreams tomorrow,” said Baddawi in an interview with Jordan News.
Baddawi’s journey began when she was an undergraduate student after reading “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde.
Baddawi shared that: “This book took me to another world, where I traveled to many countries while staying at my place. During that time, I felt just how interested I am in writing and that it was my real passion.”
“One of the professors, at that time, had asked us to read the novel and write our opinion about it,” she said and continued, “I can say that this was the true beginning of my career as a novelist; as the professor wrote on the homework paper ‘you are the future novelist.’ This greatly impacted me and was the greatest motivation that brought me to where I am now.”
Undated photo of Farah Al-Baddawi. (Photo: Handout from Farah Al-Baddawi)
The novelist shared that publishing four different books was not easy and that her experience was full of obstacles. However, she still believed in the importance of moving forward despite the hardships and obstacles.
“It was definitely not easy to produce any of my books, but every time I intended to launch a new book, I only thought about the result and only saw my goal in front of me. Of course, any achievement you will obtain one day will never come easily, but you will find that difficulties add a special flavor to your success when the dream comes true,” she said.
Regarding the main obstacles that Baddawi faced throughout her career, she stressed that she had always suffered from “The lack of supportive entities for the Jordanian writer, especially youth, in addition to the high cost of producing books, and the lack of attention from Arab media outlets, especially the local ones when it comes to supporting and highlighting new talents, as well as the lack of adequate social, and material support.”
The author stressed that: “The Arab world is mired with many complex problems and is constantly keen to solve them, but most of the time we completely forget to talk about the cultural crisis that many ignore.”
She also explained that: “Those in positions based on cultural upbringing should raise awareness among citizens about the importance of reading and even encourage school and university students to read. If we want to compare ourselves to a western reader, for instance, they will surely win, no doubt, and there is some blame on the family and the schools too.”
Due to the versatility of writing, Baddawi believes that many different messages can be conveyed using literature, whether it is writing or reading.
“In every book, there is a new message that I want to deliver. For instance, my message in my first novel ‘Amal’ is that hope is the path of life, no matter how unfair life is,” she said.
Baddawi released her latest book “Shabab ‘Ala Kadr Ahl Al-Azm,” a few weeks ago. She shared that this book is essential as it presents a beautiful picture of her country, Jordan.
“In my latest book, I presented a series of success stories amongst young Jordanian entrepreneurs to let the whole world know that Jordan is rich in human resources, the most important of which is entrepreneurial youth.”
However, amongst her four books and novels, Baddawi claimed that: “The latest book is the only one that has received the support of the Ministry of Culture. I wish that this support would continue to help me achieve more.”
On the other hand, the novelist, who is a new mom, stressed that while being a mother for the first time is a “sacred task,” it is also one of the most challenging jobs that she has done.
“I cannot say that life is perfect, but with the help of my husband and my mother-in-law, everything becomes easier,” she shared.
She pointed out that this is just the beginning and that she has many dreams to achieve despite all the difficulties she might face.
“I dream of obtaining a scholarship to complete my doctorates degree and to become the Minister of Culture one day ... I have many dreams, and one of them is to create a platform to support young writers and to let my novels reach the whole world.”
Read more Lifestyle
