Abdullah al-Ghathami

Abdullah Mohammed al-Ghathami (born in 1946), is a Saudi writer and critic. He was a former faculty member at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah and King Saud University in Riyadh. He held membership in several authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

He was born in the governorate of Unayzah in Qassim Province and obtained his high school diploma from the Scientific Institute in Unayzah in 1965. He earned a bachelor's degree in Arabic language from the College of Arabic Language at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh in 1969. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Exeter in Britain in 1978.

He worked as a faculty member at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah from 1978 to 1989. He participated in the establishment of the Arabic Language Department and the Journal of Literature at the university. He also supervised the formulation of several scientific projects, such as the Arabization Center and the Research Center at the university. During this period, he served as the vice president of the Literary and Cultural Club in Jeddah and participated in scientific activities and cultural events in the Kingdom. Al-Ghathami moved to work at King Saud University in Riyadh in 1988.

Al-Ghathami continued his critical works in the field of literature, producing his critical project studying the patterns that govern and interpret literary texts in Arab culture, known as 'Cultural Criticism'. In the same project, he published the book 'Women and Language' in 1999. Additionally, he turned to creative writing by releasing the book 'Hikayat Saharah'. Later in 1994, he authored the book 'Journey to the Republic of Theory - Approaches to Reading the Face of American Culture'. Subsequently, he published the book 'The Tale of Modernity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia' in 2004.

He participated in several scientific visits to some American universities. In 1983, he visited the University of Berkeley in California, and in 1984, he visited Indiana University in Bloomington. Between 1992 and 1995, he visited Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and Eastern Michigan University in Michigan. Subsequently, in 1994, he authored the book 'Journey to the Republic of Theory - Approaches to Reading the Cultural Face of America.'

Al-Ghathami held membership in several entities and authorities, including: membership in the editorial board of the Journal of the College of Arts and Humanities, and membership in the editorial board of the periodical 'Alamat' issued by the Literary and Cultural Club in Jeddah. Additionally, he was a member of the editorial board of the magazine 'Contemporary Writings,' published in Beirut since 1996. He also served as a member of the advisory board for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award since its establishment in 2006 until 2010.