Thomas Aplin

Thomas Aplin was born in England in 1979. He has a first class degree in BA Arabic from the University of Exeter and an MSc in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies from Edinburgh, where he is currently pursuing a PhD on the Saudi novel.

His interest in contemporary Arabic fiction was kindled by the late Abdelrahman Munif’s al-Nihayat, which he read as an undergraduate during a year spent studying in Damascus. Since 2007 he has regularly contributed to Banipal with translations of various short stories and novel excerpts. He has also worked as a consultant researcher on a number of high profile cultural projects in the Arabian Gulf.