Maha Gargash

Maha Gargash was born in Dubai. She has a Bachelors degree in Radio/Television from the George Washington University in Washington D.C. and a Masters from Goldsmiths’ College in London. In 1985, she joined Dubai Television to pursue her interest in documentaries. It was a field that provided extensive travel opportunities and opened many doors. Through her programmes, which focus mainly on traditional Arab societies, she became involved in research and scriptwriting, which evolved into her first novel, The Sand Fish (Oct/Nov 2009).((( Maha Gargash: In Conversation )))Maha Gargash is a woman of many talents. As well as researching, scripting, directing and fronting Arabesque, the cultural series on Dubai TV, she rides horses, plays the piano, has a black belt in karate and has just had her first novel, The Sand Fish, published by HarperCollins, a leading American publisher.Born in Dubai, she was educated in the UK and America but always knew that she would return to her homeland. She began her career at Dubai Television, working mainly on documentaries about traditional Arab societies and has now set up her own TV company.The Sand Fish: A Novel From Dubai tells the story of a rebellious girl’s passage into womanhood in a country moving from a traditional way of life in 1950s Dubai to the modern society of today. Will Noora finally choose the freedom that love offers or the security of her traditional married life? Written in spare, poetic language that captures both the landscape of the Emirates and the intimacy of domestic life, the book is both a fascinating snapshot of a very different Dubai fifty years ago and an engrossing read. It has already received excellent review coverage and publication in English by a publisher with worldwide reach should ensure the widest possible readership for this Emirati author.Maha will be talking about how she has broken away from the traditional role of women in the UAE to fulfil her ambitions – first in television and now as a writer – and reading from The Sand Fish.http://tickets.emirateslitfest.com/p-...Maha Gargash on her novel The Sand Fishhttp://www.thenational.ae/arts-lifest...- EDUCATIONGoldsmiths, University of LondonLondon, United KingdomGW AlumniWashington, District of Columbia