May Muzaffar (born 1940; Arabic: مظفر, مي) is a Jordan-based Iraqi poet, short story writer, translator, and editor.
May Muzaffar was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1940. [1] [2] [3] She attended the University of Baghdad, where she studied English literature. [4]
Muzaffar is known for her work as a writer of poetry and short stories, as well as literary criticism. [5] [6] She has produced five story collections, including Al Baja (1973). [2] [5] [6] In addition, she has published five poetry collections, including Layliyyat ("Nocturnes," 1994), Barid al-Sharq ("Mail from the Orient," 2003), and Ghiyab ("Absence," 2014). [4] [5] [6]
Her work has been published in English translation, including in the 2000 collection The Poetry of Arab Women A Contemporary Anthology. [5] [6] [7] She has also written nonfiction, including a biography of the writer Nasir al-Din al-Asad. [6]
She has also worked as a translator and editor. Her translations into Arabic include poetry from Ted Hughes and Etel Adnan, and she has served as a contributing editor to the Bahraini literary journal Thaqafat. [5] [6]
Her writing from the 1970s to 1990 is seen as an important example of Iraqi women writers prevailing despite state censorship and discrimination. [8] In 1991, she left Iraq for Amman, Jordan, where she continues to reside and work, as part of a wave of Iraqi writers and artists who emigrated in this period. [6] [9] [10]
May Muzaffar was married to the late Iraqi artist Rafa al-Nasiri. [6] The couple often collaborated, including on the poetry collection/art book From That Distant Land in 2007. [11] [12] Since his death in 2013, [13] she has worked to preserve and promote his work and legacy. [4]