Born in Jeddah in 1965, she graduated from the Faculty of Arts at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah in 1993. She began her career in journalism in 1987, working for several local Saudi newspapers and writing for various Arab magazines, including the Egyptian magazine “Sabah Al-Khair” and the London-based magazine “Al-Rajul.” For five years, she wrote a weekly opinion piece in the international newspaper “Asharq Al-Awsat.” She then began a weekly column in the “Viewpoints” section of the Emirati newspaper “Al-Ittihad.” Her articles take a social and humanitarian approach, shedding light on the most important issues facing the Arab and international world.
Zainab Hafni prides herself on having broken through the taboos that dominate the local and Arab mindset, a fact that has provoked considerable controversy. She uses sex extensively in her novels as a springboard to reach a noble and lofty goal, arguing that sex is not shameful. Some describe Zainab’s work as weak, disjointed, and conventionally narrative, claiming it is merely a cheap attempt to gain attention and money. It is worth noting that she was banned from traveling and writing after the publication of her collection “Women at the Equator.” She participated in the Cairo International Book Fair in 2000 through an open meeting with the Egyptian public to discuss her body of work. That same year, she was hosted in Damascus by Dr. Georgette Attia at her home’s literary salon, which is known for hosting diverse cultural figures.
In 2004, she participated in the Women and Writing Forum in Safi, Morocco, presenting a paper titled “My Story with the Letter.”
In April 2005, she participated in the first feminist symposium, “Women, Creativity, and History,” with a lecture on “Women and Their Role in Making History,” alongside a poetry reading, at Cadi Ayyad University in Beni Mellal, Morocco.
