Rana was born and raised in Syria and moved to England at the age of 15. She read English Literature at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge and worked as a journalist and associate producer for the BBC, Channel 4, and other broadcasters. She has published poetry, essays and travel writings and lived most of her adult life in London, except for stints in Paris, Beirut and Madrid. She’s now based in Athens where she’s busy writing her second novel set in a parallel version of London before the turn of the 21st Century. She is the founder of the arts, design and writers salon Moon Station Athens.
The Unexpected Love Objects of Dunya Noor was short-listed for the UK LGBTQ Polari Prize 2019 and chosen as “Book of the Month’ by MTV Arabia. It’s regularly read and studied at a number of universities such as Cambridge, London University School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), American University of Beirut, Vassar College New York, Le Moyne College New York and Lancaster University among others, and has been translated into Turkish.
For a flavour of her latest writing check this:
Chronicles of a Boy Manqué: On not wearing a dress — a girlhood between Syria and England
“While the love objects of Dunya Noor are people (Hilal and Suha), objects (cameras and light), and concepts (love and art), some of the MENAWA attendees agreed that their new love object is Haddad’s novel.”
Huyem Chuerfa, Lancaster University MENAWA Reading Group
“We are now reading your amazing writing. I cannot tell you how much fun we are having debating it! P.s. I haven't read such a great novel in a while!”
Professor Douja Mamelouk, Le Moyne College, New York
“A magical and unpredictable celebration of love…”
Dr Charis Olszok, Assistant professor at Cambridge University (Department of Middle Eastern Studies)
"A brilliant, Shakespearean and surprising novel [which] counterpoints dictatorship with laughter &...the surprises of desire."
Dr Ewan Fernie, Professor at the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham
“Thank you, Ms Haddad, for kissing our hearts with your words.”
Steph Gannon, American novelist
"An amazing book . . . peppered with satire and comic moments…"
Sanam Shantyaei, France 24 TV
"Such a good book - a Shakespearean comedy set in Syria and Surrey, with lots of moustaches and a great heroine. A real tonic."
Andrew Heavens, journalist and author of The Prince and the Plunder
“I just finished reading this wonderful book. The best book I’ve read in a while. The imagery, the metaphors, the concepts. I shed a tear on the tube. Please write another.”
@moroghkh Twitter
“Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Part prose, part poetry, all heart. The Unexpected Love Objects of Dunya Noor is an unexpectedly deep, yet amusing and sarcastic book on what it’s like growing up in Syria under Hafez al-Assad as a half Syrian girl.”
Reading Between the Dunes (Blog)
“Your writing talent is unmistakable and your style is full of wit and artistic ingenuity.”
Mootacem Mhiri, Vassar College, New York
"This is an intriguing and surprising read. I definitely recommend it."
Clare Short, Former Secretary of State for International Development, UK
“It’s funny, it’s astonishing, it’s engaging … a breath of fresh air!”
L’etagere Filante Book club
“Just inhaled Rana Haddad’s twinkly, arresting debut. A must read for the demand-avoidant, the curly-haired, and anyone interested in how repressive systems play out in the world of the interpersonal. Also very funny… No, really! Read the whole thing with mouth involuntarily twitching up at the corners. So I guess in the opposite direction to a Hafez-era moustache.”
Hannah Somerville
“Magical. Mystical. Warm. Funny. Absorbing. Smart. Unexpected. In short, a delight.”
Denyse Woods, Novelist
“How many novels can you name that are set in modern Syria? How many of those are intentionally funny? Not many, right? If you wish you could find one, then you need to read this book! Focuses on a young woman growing up a little apart from everyone around her, noticing visual details and personality quirks. Like a Syrian Amélie. A tantalizing comedy of errors. If you liked Persepolis by M. Satrapi, you might like this, and vice versa.”
Melanie Magidow, author and translator
Moustache Power, Chapter 3, The Unexpected Love Objects of Dunya Noor.