Poet
Mazen Maarouf is a writer, poet, translator and journalist, born in Beirut to a family of Palestinian refugees who had to flee Tal El-Zaatar during the Lebanese civil war. He holds a bachelor degree in General Chemistry, and worked for several years as a Chemistry and Physics teacher. After Jokes for the Gunmen he published a second short story collection Rats that Licked the Karate Champion’s Ear, and recently the interlinked stories Sunshine on the Substitute bench. His three poetry collections include The Camera Doesn’t Capture Birds. In 2014 he won the Literaturlana Poetry Prize. Mazen has written for various Arabic publications including Al-Hayat (Beirut, London). He has translated into Arabic several novels and short stories by international writers.