Fadi Zaghmout

Overall, this novel richly exploits science fiction’s great capacity to imagine the otherwise and denaturalize what seems inevitable and natural.

So in honor of University Press Week, happening Nov. 10-14, here are 17 exemplary translated books (novels, poetry or short story collections, memoirs and non-fiction books), illustrating the ways that university presses collaborate with authors and translators to bring insights from around the world to English readers.

Fadi Zaghmout’s Heaven on Earth, translated by Sawad Hussain, is ideologically fascinating, but in a way that I’m not sure Zaghmout intended. the novel takes as its premise the development of a drug that allows the aging process to be perfectly and controlledly reversed, taking the subject back to whatever age they choose.

En esta entrevista exclusiva, el autor jordano Fadi Zaghmout reflexiona sobre género, tecnología y sociedad en la ciencia ficción árabe, desafiando tabúes culturales y proponiendo futuros más diversos y críticos desde la literatura.

What if our society’s deepest prejudices weren’t about race, gender, or sexuality—but height? In his groundbreaking allegorical novel, acclaimed Jordanian author and activist Fadi Zaghmout imagines just such a world, crafting a powerful meditation on discrimination and desire that speaks directly to our contemporary debates about identity and inclusion.

With a calm and positive demeanour, Fadi spoke to us about his controversial novel, his journey to be a writer and how he writes from the female perspective.

Fadi Zaghmout is a Jordanian author and activist who writes bold, thought-provoking fiction and champions sexual freedoms and body rights. His novels include The Bride of Amman, the futuristic Heaven on Earth trilogy, and Laila. Zaghmout’s work has been translated into English, French, and Italian. His latest novel, The Man of Middling Height (Syracuse University Press, August 15, 2025), translated from the Arabic by Wasan Abdelhaq, centers on a romance between a short dressmaker and her client who is of middle height and therefore shunned by society.

In most societies, identity and status are shaped by gender—and often, by the body parts we are born with. Jordanian author Fadi Zaghmount flips that concept on its head in his provocative speculative novel The Man of Middling Height. Here, he imagines a world where height classification, not gender, defines power, privilege, and social boundaries.

We chat speculative fiction vs. sci-fi and we still can’t figure out how publishers define it, how Fadi started out as a blogger to write about taboo subjects before his government cracked down on what you can say as a blogger, and so much more.

“فرح على الأرض” حساب رقمي بعد مئة عام على يد خوارزميات فائقة الذكاء

عمون أعلنت دار الأهلية للنشر والتوزيع في عمّان عن صدور رواية “فرح على الأرض”، الجزء الثالث والختامي من ثلاثية الخيال العلمي الشباب الدائم للكاتب فادي زغموت، والتي تستكشف مستقبل البشرية في ظل التطور العلمي المتسارع، والبحث الأزلي عن الخلود.

سمعت بالكاتب “فادي زغموت” لأول مرة إثر ضجّة مصغّرة أثارتها روايته الأولى “عروس عمّان”، ونويت قراءة الرواية في المستقبل، لكنني لم استعجل على ذلك، نظراً لأن الخيال الواقعي بالعربية لا يستهويني كثيراً، ما حدث لاحقا هو أن رواية “أمل على الأرض” وهي الجزء الثاني من رواية “جنة على الأرض”، قد نُشرت قبل عقد من الزمن ولم تثر أي ضجّة، لكنها تنتمي الى صنف الخيال العلمي، وهو من الأصناف التي أفضلها. لذلك اشتريت الكتابين لقرائتهما على التوالي. في هذه المقالة أسعى إلى نقد الروايتين، وأرجو أن أكون منصفاً. تحتوي المقالة على بعض الحرق للأحداث، ما قد يؤثر على تجربة القارئ.

Arab science fiction is largely unknown internationally despite there being a plethora of books within the genre. Today, we are highlighting our sci-fi authors who are changing the landscape of the genre and publishing.

La fantascienza araba è tanto in fermento quanto poco nota al grande pubblico internazionale. In un’analisi precedente su questo sito, dedicata al romanzo Paradiso in Terra (Future Fiction, 2023) del giordano Fadi Zaghmout, veniva affrontata la diffusione del fantastico nel contesto arabo. Arabilioso, antologia del futurismo arabo, offre un indispensabile supporto informativo a nove racconti selezionati tra Giodania, Egitto, Palestina, Iraq, Libano, Bahrain e Siria.

La mort ne sera-t-elle bientôt plus qu’un souvenir ? Au début réservée aux plus fortunés, une petite pilule jaune bourrée de nanotechnologie apporte l’immortalité à ceux qui l’avalent.

Fadi is a Jordanian author renowned for his novels exploring societal norms and sexuality, including “The Bride of Amman,” and has received international acclaim with translations in multiple languages including recognition in the 2021 Chevening Alumni Global Awards for Social Impact.

الرجل والمرأة مفهومان مطاطيان ومتغيران بتغير الوعي الاجتماعي. كلاهما مفاهيم مركبة من حصيلة مجموعة من
الصفات الملونة والمرنة بدورها.

Fadi Zaghmout’s accomplished novel, Heaven on Earth is perhaps the most recent addition to this tradition. Heaven on Earth is set in Jordan at the end of the 21st century, where society has been revolutionized by the invention of an anti-ageing drug.

الروائى الأردنى فادى زغموت واحد من أبرز الأصوات الأدبية العربية فى الوقت الحالى، خاصة بعدما أشعلت رواياته «الجريئة» نقاشات حادة فى الأوساط الأدبية والمجتمعية بصفة عامة، بالتزامن مع إشادة النقاد بأسلوبه السردى السلس والعميق فى الوقت نفسه. ومن خلال رواياته «عروس عمان» و«جنة على الأرض»، و«أمل على الأرض»، تناول «زغموت» قضايا اجتماعية حساسة تتعلق بالهوية والإنسانية والحرية الشخصية، واستطاع لفت الأنظار إلى العديد من التحديات التى تواجه المجتمعات العربية المعاصرة، مقدمًا شخصيات تتسم بالعمق والتعقيد، وتعكس الواقع بصدق وجدية. واقتحم الروائى الأردنى مساحات من الخيال العلمى، لم يخضها كثيرون من قبل، أو لم يتناولوها بطريقته، لنرى معه موضوعات جديدة على الأدب العربى، بداية من الشباب الدائم، وصولًا إلى «نسخ رقمية» من الجنة والنار. عن تجربته الأدبية الثرية، وتفاصيل هذه الروايات، وموقع الخيال العلمى من الأدب العربى الآن، وغيرها من الموضوعات الأخرى، يدور حوار «حرف» التالى مع الروائى الأردنى فادى زغموت.

Fadi Zaghmout (Creative and Critical Writing 2012) is an author in Jordan and winner of the Study UK Alumni Awards 2024 in UAE. The Awards recognise graduates of UK universities who have made an exceptional contribution to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others in their countries and regions.

تضم مدينة دبي في الإمارات العربية المتحدة اليوم سكاناً يحملون جنسيّات أكثر من 200 دولة. قد يعتقد البعض أن هذا التنوع الثقافي الموجود في دبي سيخلق أشكالاً مختلفة ومتنوعة من الشخصيّات إلاّ أن المدينة، بحداثتها ورفاهية العيش التي توفرها، نجحت بطريقة ما باختزال هذه الثقافات في شخصيّات متميزة من المؤكد أنك ستلتقي بواحد منها أو على الأغلب جميعها خلال إقامتك أو حتى زيارتك لهذه المدينة.

“Excuse me but are you Fadi Zaghmout the writer? Sorry to intrude but I saw the book and overheard parts of your conversation,” explained the young Jordanian lady. “Your book spoke to me! My mother could not believe it was written by a man!”

Meet The Author Who Utilizes Elastic Thinking To Advocate For Gender Equality.

Helping to create a more equal Arab society is one of the goals of The Bride of Amman author Fadi Zaghmout.

Jordanian author and gender activist Fadi Zaghmout is passionate about the transformative landscape of Arabic science fiction.

His novel Heaven on Earth and its sequel portray the prospects of a world free from the clutches of aging and invites reflection on the societal ripples such a future might create.

Since the start of the millennium, many Middle Eastern writers of a younger generation have struggled to gain critical attention and grow their readership because of their determination to tackle controversial social issues tied to gender and sexuality instead of making war and conflict their primary focus. This study will analyze the works of two Middle Eastern authors in particular, Alexandra Chreiteh and Fadi Zaghmout from Lebanon and Jordan respectively, who have produced cutting-edge novels that have changed the literary scene in the region by putting gender and sexuality at the forefront in an original and successful attempt to force a necessary conversation about taboos and oppressive elements of their society.

Heaven on Earth by Jordanian author Fadi Zaghmout is a provocative biopunk novel that explores the consequences of non-aging technology widely available to society. Death is eliminated from the human equation, and the right to give birth is controlled. Who inherits that right, after someone willingly choses the unpopular option of dying, carries conflict amidst traditional families.

Fadi Zaghmout, a Sussex alumnus and novelist in Jordan, is a finalist for a British Council award that recognises graduates of UK universities who have made an exceptional contribution to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others in their countries and regions.

Stanford Lecturer Dr. Ramzi Salti interviews celebrated Jordanian novelist Fadi Zaghmout whose first two novels were best-sellers in the Middle East, and whose third novel “Laila and the Lamb” is forthcoming from Egyptian publisher Kotob Khan.

In 2012, the Jordanian novelist and activist Fadi Zaghmout published his first novel, The Bride of Amman, dealing with the brutality of gender and sexual norms and conventions within the city of Amman. A best-seller, and only translated into English last summer, The Bride of Amman is a short and compelling read, interweaving five different perspectives throughout the book.

IN 2006, Jordanian author Fadi Zaghmout started a blog that discussed issues pertaining to individualism and sexual freedom in the Arab society. The blog, written predominantly in English, proved popular among Arab netizens as it delved into social issues that were not addressed traditionally by the media in Jordan. However, when he decided to write his debut novel a few years later, Zaghmout turned to his mother tongue — Arabic. According to him, the decision was an outcome of his urge to contribute to the discourse in his local language, when there weren’t many liberal voices.

Growing up in Amman I could see society’s fear of non-marital sexual activities, and its impact in regulating the relationship between men and women. I was from the lucky few who studied in a mixed liberal private schools in Amman, and didn’t feel the toll of sex segregation until colleague time where I noticed how my peers, who came from segregated schools, had difficulties in dealing with the opposite sex.

Fadi Zaghmout is a Jordanian writer and gender activist. An Arab man free in mind and writing, who with his first novel The Bride of Amman caused a stir in Jordan, becoming a literary case. He has published five novels: The Bride of Amman, Heaven on Earth, Laila and Ebra wa Kushtuban. I read The Bride of Amman recently, the volume (published in 2012) arrived in Italy 10 years after its publication at home. The book touches on burning topics, such as sexual liberation, the relationship between young people, the traditional conception of marriage, women’s emancipation, the LGBTQA+ issue. Keep in mind that the story takes place in Amman and not abroad. Ali, a young Iraqi refugee is the gay character you don’t expect to find in the pages of an Arabic novel, and yet…… !!

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Here are 7 books penned by Arab authors that will give you more insight into the issues facing the LGBT community, the challenges, and the double lives they sometimes have to lead for fear of persecution.

عروس عمان عنوان روائي يحمل علامات سؤال هائلة في 196 صفحة، فهي الرواية الأولى التي لم تستغرق مع كاتبها اكثر من سنة ونصف. لتنطلق وتلفظ بلسان حال واقع يعيشه البعض منا، باحثا كاتبها عن تفاصيل اجتماعية جريئة.