Yasmin Boland is a writer based in Britain, with English as her native language. She is originally from Kuwait, where she gained both her English and Middle Eastern languages skills while studying at university. As a student, she was active in international student politics and set up many friendships overseas including ones with citizens of Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Iran & Pakistan. During her time in these nations, she developed a keen interest in women’s rights & history & this led her on an unlikely but inspirational journey into political journalism in Europe. Following this, she travelled throughout the Middle East and ended up living and working in UAE, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kashmir, and eventually, Canada. In between these moves, she has also published several books in Arabic, such as Ibtissi: A Woman’s Search for Community in a patriarchal Society, co-edited with Nada El affair, and most recently, A Taste of Arabic.
While at university, Yasmin Boland developed a love of traveling & exploring, visiting several Middle Eastern countries, and eventually exploring Canada in what is now known as Baffin Island, where she spent two weeks. Following this, she decided to pursue her own interests, which led her to writing full time, firstly as a means of escape from home, and then to a true passion: writing. As one would expect, while pursuing such an individualistic path, she has developed quite a diverse career, writing about a variety of subjects: travel, food, literature, politics & religion, literature, poetry, film, & even children’s stories. Her stories have won a number of awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Man Booker Prize for her novel The Kinds and Hearts. She currently lives and works in Canada, and has adopted a new identity as a Canadian citizen.
While it is clear that Yasmin Boland is a very accomplished and successful writer with many achievements under her belt, what is not so clear is whether or not she is successful in fitting into an English speaking, white collar, professional-type role. It seems that at times she is unable to fit in due to her nationality, and being from a black Caribbean islander family, it would seem that ethnicity plays a part in this. However, with a bit of soul searching, this may just be her way of embracing and transcending her upbringing, her roots, and becoming a fully functioning, positive, and fully integrated human being. She has made a lot of friends, met lots of interesting people, and is doing what she always wanted to do, which is write.