- Born in 1952 in Beirut.
- She graduated from the Lebanese University in 1975 with a degree in French Language and Literature.
- She travelled to Paris in 1976 to pursue postgraduate studies.
- She moved to Paris in 1989.
- She worked as a cultural journalist for newspapers in Beirut and in the Arab World.
- She participated in many notable international conferences and symposiums.
- She is a member of the reading panels of several publications and cultural institutions.
- She contributed to an Italian book against violence in the Mediterranean.
- She compiled a book on Arab Novelists for the UNESCO.
- She translated a number of books from Arabic to French.
- She received a number of awards, including:
- Al-Naqid prize for Fiction in 1990 for her novel “Hajar Al Dahk” (The Stone of Laughter)
- The Naguib Mahouz Medal for Literature in 2000 for her novel, “The Tiller of Water”
- She was nominated for the title of “Most Prominent Lebanese Cultural Personality” in 1998.
- She was decorated with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 2002 and received the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite National in 2008.
Publications:
- “Za’irat” (Visitors, a collection of short stories) 1985
- “Hajar Al Dahk” (The Stone of Laughter, novel) 1990
- “Ahl Al-Hawa” (Disciples of Passion, novel) 1993
- “Harith Al-Miyah” (The Tiller of Water, novel) 1998
- “Sayyidiwa Habibi” (My Master and My Beloved, novel) 2004
- “Malakut Hathihil Ard” (The Realm of this Land, novel) 2012
- “Rasa’el Al Ghareeba” (The Stranger’s Letters, text) 2002
- “Viva La Diva” (A Play in Lebanese vernacular) 2009
Contact : barakath@hotmail.fr