Prof. Muhsin J. al-Musawi

Muhsin al-Musawi has been Professor of Arabic and Comparative Studies at Columbia University since 2002. With extensive teaching experience across the Middle East and Tunisia, and a prolific body of work in both Arabic and English, he is widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities in Arabic literary studies. A distinguished scholar and critic, his research spans multiple periods and genres, combining philological rigor with theoretical insight. He serves as editor of the Journal of Arabic Literature, the field’s foremost academic journal, and has acted as academic consultant for numerous institutions worldwide. Al-Musawi led the largest translation and cultural program in Iraq between 1983 and 1990 and has received several major awards and honours, including the Owais Award (2002), the Kuwait Prize (2018), and the King Faisal International Prize (2022). His book The Arabian Nights in Contemporary World Culture won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. His latest work, Poetic Desire and Literary Theft (2026), continues his endeavor of rethinking Arabic literary history and theory.