Abidah El Khalieqy was born in 1965 in Jombang, East Java. She graduated from an all-girls Persatuan Islam boarding school in Pasuruan and Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University in Yogyakarta. She began to write in her youth and has had a productive career, publishing nine novels, most recently Mimpi Anak Pulau (An Island Child’s Dream, 2013); two short story collections; and the poetry collection Ibuku Laut Berkobar (My Mother Is the Shining Sea, 1997). Her 2001 novel Perempuan Berkalung Sorban (The Woman in the Turban) was adapted for the screen and won several awards. Geni Jora (Light of the Morning Star, 2003) was judged Best Novel by the Jakarta Arts Council in 2003.
El Khalieqy’s work gives a voice to women, including victims of polygamy and domestic violence, whom she feels are still often marginalized in Indonesia. Her work has been widely anthologized and has received numerous awards.
