Selma Dabbagh
is a British Palestinian writer of fiction who lives in London.
Selma’s first novel, Out of It, was published by Bloomsbury in 2011/2012 and was positively reviewed in the UK, the US and the Middle East. It was nominated as a Guardian Book of the Year. In 2024, it headed The Guardian's list of five best books to explain Israel-Palestine.
The Arabic edition, Gaze Tahta Al-Jild translated by Khulood Amr, was published by BQFP in August 2015. Italian and French editions were published in September 2017; Fuori da Gaza, Il Sirente translated by Barbara Benini and Gaza Dans la Peau, Éditions de L'Aube translated by Benoîte Dauvergne. In May 2019, Selma won first prize for the Premio Opera Prima, Spoleto, Umbria.
Selma is the editor of the collection, We Wrote In Symbols; Love and Lust by Arab Women Writers, published by Saqi Books in 2021. Described as 'groundbreaking' and the first of its kind etc by The Washington Post, the collection is comprised of 110 pieces by over 70 authors, writing in Arabic, French and English. It includes contemporary and classical short stories, poetry and novel excerpts, by new and established writers of Arab heritage.

SELMA DABBAGH in the studio of Seboo Migone, Rome, Nov. 2017 by Tania Cristofari. Tania/FotoA3/contrasto