Abdullah al-Jifri

Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman al-Jifri (1939-2008) is a Saudi writer, literary figure, journalist, novelist, and storyteller. He worked as editorial director at Okaz Newspaper and supervised the culture and literature sections of Al Majalla Magazine and Asharq al-Awsat Newspaper. He was Deputy Editor-in-Chief for Cultural Affairs at Asharq al-Awsat Newspaper. His name became closely associated with romanticism, as evident in his writings.

Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman al-Jifri was born in Makkah al-Mukarramah City in 1939, where he was raised and received his early education. Then he started his career in government service, working in the General Directorate of Public Security and later in the Passports and Nationality Administration. He then moved to the Ministry of Media, working in the Directorate of Journalism and Publishing and the General Directorate of Publications.

Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman al-Jifri began his career in Saudi journalism as an editorial secretary at al-Bilad Newspaper, Okaz Newspaper, and al-Madina Newspaper. He later became an editorial director at Okaz Newspaper before moving to the Saudi Research and Marketing Company, where he served as deputy to publishers Hisham and Mohammed Ali Hafiz. Following this, he supervised the cultural and literary sections of Asharq al-Awsat Newspaper and later became its deputy editor-in-chief for cultural affairs. He was also tasked with establishing and overseeing al-Hayat Newspaper's office in Jeddah City. Eventually, he devoted himself entirely to writing and publishing, remaining dedicated to writing until he stopped due to illness.

Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman al-Jifri began his literary career at a young age, starting in journalism. He had a column titled "Thilal" (Shadows) and another called "Nuqtat Hiwar" (Point of Dialogue), which he initially wrote for the international edition of al-Ahram Newspaper before transferring it to al-Hayat Newspaper, where he worked. He also wrote to several Saudi and Arab magazines, including Al Yamamah, al-Jadidah, Akher Sa'ah, October, and Sabah al-Khayr. Additionally, he had a weekly page in Alrai Alaam Newspaper in Kuwait.

Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman al-Jifri began writing short stories in his mid-twenties, achieving his first breakthrough with al-Zahrah al-Dhabilah (The Withered Flower), published in al-Manhal Magazine in 1955. He later released his first short story collection in 1962, titled Hayat Ja'iah (A Hungry Life), followed by his second collection al-Jidar al-Akhar (The Other Wall) in 1969. His third collection, al-Thama' (Thirst), was published in 1980, nearly eleven years after the release of his second collection.

Moving from short stories to novels, Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman al-Jifri published his first novel, Juz' Min Hulm (A Part of a Dream), in 1984, followed by Zaman Yaliq Bina (A Time That Suits Us) in 1989, al-Hulm al-Mat'un (The Wounded Dream) in 1996, and Tilka al-Laylah (That Night) in the same year. His fifth novel, Ayyam Ma'aha (Days with Her), was released in 2001, followed by al-Aashiqan (The Two Lovers) and al-Ushb Fawq al-Sa'iqah (Grass Over the Thunderbolt) in 2005. In addition to his short stories and novels, he chronicled his journey in journalism in a book titled Mishwari Ala al-Balat (My Journey on the Tile), which was published after his death.

Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman al-Jifri received the Arab Creativity Award from the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) in 1984 for his book Hiwar fi al-Huzn al-Dafi (A Dialogue within Warm Sorrow). He was also awarded the Pioneering Shield from the Second Conference of Saudi Writers in 1998, Mustafa and Ali Amin Journalism Award in 1992, al-Muftaha Prize in Abha in 2000, and a Recognition Award from al-Riyadh Newspaper in 2002. Additionally, he was granted an honorary fellowship from the Association of Modern Literature in Cairo.