Stefan Weidner is a German writer, translator, and private scholar with a focus on the Middle East, born in Cologne in 1967. After his university studies in  Göttingen and Damascus he has worked as translator of Arab poetry, and literary critic for all important German media. Among other poets he has translated Mahmud Darwish , Adonis , Ibn Arabi , the Mu’allaqât and other early Arab poetry . From 2001 to 2016 he was editor-in-chief of the German-Arabic journal Fikrun wa Fann/Art&Thought , established by Annemarie Schimmel in 1963, published by the German Goethe-Institute. Since 2016 he is as a freelance writer, translator, and scholar. In 2018 , he got the Sheikh-Hamad-Translation Award in the First Category. His study “ 1001 Books“ was shortlisted for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2020. Several of his books have been translated into Arabic . In October 2025 his study “ Yoga. Die sanfte Eroberung des Westens durch den Osten ” was published at Hanser Publishing House. And just last year, hi work was featured on al-Jazeera.

Research project

History of Palestinian Literature until the ‚end‘ of the Gaza War

Palestinian literature is both young and old. As part of Arabic literature, it draws on a history stretching back 1,500 years. As national literature, it is just over 100 years old. It is the national literature of a people without a state and — at present — without any prospect of a country of their own. This makes literature and the role of writers all the more important for Palestinians. The Gaza War since 2023 has catapulted it into the centre of global political debates and given it an unexpected relevance.

My book, for which I am conducting research at the OIB, aims to bring this literature, its history, its extraordinary political significance and poetic power to a wider audience. While being in dialog with recent political developments, the book aims to present the material in a way that will remain relevant beyond current events. In terms of genre, it corresponds to a large-scale essay on literary history that builds on academic research, aims to give it visibility, and provide further input. With its outstanding collection of Arabic literature and press, the OIB is the ideal location to realise this book project.

The book is scheduled to be published in German at Matthes&Seitz (Berlin) in the end of 2026.