Jumaana Abdu Jumaana Abdu i(20034122 works by)
Gender: Female
Heritage: Egyptian ; Palestinian
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 Debut Spotlight : 5 Questions with Jumaana Abdu Jumaana Abdu , 2024 single work column
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , October 2024;

'Each month we celebrate an Australian debut release of fiction or non-fiction in the Kill Your Darlings Debut Spotlight feature. For October that debut is Translations by Jumaana Abdu (Penguin Random House). Translations is a beautifully moving novel following the lives of Aliyah, her daughter Sakina, and her friend friend Hana as they grapple with a series of personal disasters while bushfires rage around them in rural New South Wales.'  (Introduction)

1 A How-to Guide to Revolution Jumaana Abdu , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2024;

— Review of Rock Flight Hasib Hourani , 2024 selected work poetry

'If you are imprisoned, and the only luxury allowed into your cell is a blank piece of paper, you will find yourself asking, How many things can I make out of paper?' (Introduction)   

2 3 y separately published work icon Translations Jumaana Abdu , Melbourne : Vintage , 2024 28050053 2024 single work novel

'Amid a series of personal disasters, Aliyah and her daughter, Sakina, retreat to rural NSW to make a new life. Aliyah manages to secure a run-down property and hires a farmhand, Shep, an extremely private Palestinian man and the region’s imām.

'During a storm, she drives past the town’s river and happens upon a childhood friend, Hana, who has been living a life of desperation. Aliyah takes her in and tries to navigate the indefinable relationships between both Hana and her farmhand. Tensions rise as Aliyah’s devotion to Hana is strained by her growing bond with Shep.

'Finally, all are thrown together for a reckoning alongside Hana’s brother Hashim, and Aliyah’s confidante, Billie – a local Kamilaroi midwife she met working at the hospital – while bushfires rage around them.' (Publication summary)

1 Speculative Futures in Always Will Be Jumaana Abdu , 2024 single work essay
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , March 2024;
1 A Woman of Nineveh Jumaana Abdu , 2023 single work short story
— Appears in: Meanjin , December vol. 82 no. 4 2023; (p. 98-103) Meanjin Online 2023;
1 Children Go Straight to Heaven When They Die Jumaana Abdu , 2023 single work short story
— Appears in: Westerly , vol. 68 no. 1 2023; (p. 176-184) Editor's Desk - 2023 2023;
1 Books Roundup Ellen Cregan , Eloise Grills , Monique Grbec , Jumaana Abdu , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , November 2022;

— Review of Tell Me Again Amy Thunig , 2022 single work autobiography ; Men I Trust Tommi Parrish , 2022 single work graphic novel ; The Glass House Brooke Dunnell , 2022 single work novel ; The Lovers Yumna Kassab , 2022 single work novel
1 The Long Supper Jumaana Abdu , 2022 single work short story
— Appears in: Griffith Review , no. 78 2022; (p. 68-74)
1 A Manifesto for the ‘Diverse’ Writer Jumaana Abdu , 2022 single work column
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , July 2022;
'As a multi-hyphenated emerging writer with literary aspirations, my identity is inextricable from my art. But representation as an artistic goal feels like too high a price on my soul.'
1 Late Night Shopping Jumaana Abdu , 2020 single work short story
— Appears in: Overland [Online] , August 2020;
X