Yahya Al-Qaisi is a Jordanian novelist and researcher based in the United Kingdom.
He was born in the village of Hartha, in northern Jordan, in 1963.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Philadelphia University, followed by postgraduate studies in translation at the University of Jordan.
Between 1996 and 2006, he worked for the Jordanian Ministry of Culture, serving as managing editor for several magazines—such as *Al-Funun* (The Arts) and *Sawt al-Jeel* (Voice of the Generation)—as well as director of studies and publishing, and director of cultural exchange. He also served on various committees, including those dedicated to planning and publishing.
From 1990 to 2009, he worked in journalism—in Tunisia, the Gulf states, and Jordan—as both a correspondent and an editor. Additionally, he wrote and prepared approximately 25 documentary films for Jordanian television under the series title *Sirat Mubdi’* (Biography of a Creator).
From 2013 to 2016, he served as the Director of Cultural Affairs and Deputy Director General at the Fujairah Authority for Culture and Media, where he oversaw numerous specialized media conferences, arts festivals, forums, and exhibitions.
Over the past fifteen years, he has focused on the study of Sufism, metaphysical traditions, and religious thought, while also developing his own spiritual practice. Between 2016 and 2018, he dedicated himself entirely to an in-depth reading of the works of Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi—a profound Sufi experience that he continues to study and examine with complete objectivity.
Since October 2018, he has served as the Director of Studies and Publishing at the British organization “Onyx,” which focuses on intellectual inquiry, human development, and enlightenment. He has conducted hundreds of interviews with some of the most prominent Arab writers and authors.
His novels have been the subject of numerous critical essays and studies by specialists in Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and elsewhere.
He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the website “Thaqafat” (Cultures), established in 2012.
His published novels include:
*Abyssal Lives* (Hayawat Sahīqah) – Dar Khutut wa Zilal, Amman, 2020
*One Step Beyond Life* (Ba‘d al-Hayah bi-Khatwah) – Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, Beirut, 2017
*The Forbidden Paradise* (al-Firdaws al-Muharram) – Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, Beirut, 2015
*Children of Heaven* (Abna’ al-Sama’) – Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, Beirut, 2010
*The Gate of Bewilderment* (Bab al-Hirah) – Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, Beirut, 2006
In the field of short stories:
*Fractured Desires* (Raghabat Mashrukha) – Dar al-Nasr for Publishing and Distribution, Amman, 1996
*Entering the Fluid Time* (al-Wuluj fi al-Zaman al-Ma’i) – Dar Tabariya for Publishing and Distribution, Irbid, 1990
In the cultural sphere:
*Ibn Arabi: Caught Between the ‘Openings’ (al-Futuhat) and the ‘Transmitted Traditions’ (al-Manqulat)* – Onyx Publishing, UK, 2019; Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, 2020
*The Fever of Writing: Dialogues on Thought and Creativity* – Published by the Cultural Department of the Greater Amman Municipality, 2004
*Theater in the World* (Edited, revised, and translated) – Fujairah Authority for Culture and Media, 2012
*Cultural Guide to Jordan* (Authored and compiled) – Al-Rai Center for Studies, 2002