Faculty of Arts receives Chilean writer of Palestinian descent Dr. Lina Meruane

The Faculty of Arts received a delegation from the Chilean Embassy accompanied by Chilean writer and scholar of Palestinian descent Dr. Lina Meruane on November 14, 2022. Faculty Dean Dr. Munir Fakher Eldin, Assistant to the Dean Dr. Tina Rafidi and Director of the External Academic Relations Office Dr. Amir Khalil met with the delegation and emphasized the historical relationship between Palestine and Chile.

During the visit, Dr. Meruane and English literature professor Lloyd Precious gave a lecture to English language and literature students on Dr. Meruane’s book “Becoming Palestine”. Translated from Spanish into Arabic, the book explores identity and origin through the migratory voyage that Dr. Meruane’s grandparents made from Palestine to Chile in the mid-twentieth century. Dr. Meruane also visited the Palestine and Arabic Studies program and gave a lecture with instructor Sa’d Nimer to international students on women in Arab society.

Dr. Meruane is a professor at New York University and is one of the most remarkable Chilean writers who wrote on Palestinians in Latin America. Since 1998, she has written a short-story collection, a play and five novels.

It is worth noting that Dr. Meruane has recently received the Culture, Science and Arts award for brilliance, a distinguished Palestinian award granted by the Palestinian president to Palestinian and international intellectuals, writers, poets, thinkers, scientists and artists who have accomplished great work for Palestine. Her book “Seeing Red” was awarded the prestigious Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize in Mexico in 2012, as well as the Premio Valle Inclan Prize in the UK in 2019 for Megan MacDowe’s English translation.