Aya Sabi
Aya Sabi | |
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| Born | 1995 (age 30–31) |
| Occupations |
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| Website | ayasabi |
Aya Sabi (born 1995 in Roermond, The Netherlands) is a Belgian, Dutch and Moroccan writer and columnist.
Early life and education
Sabi was born in the Netherlands and moved to Limburg, Belgium at age thirteen.[1] In her youth, she mainly wrote poetry and participated in several writing contests.[2][3] At age 13, she sent a manuscript it to several publishers.[2] She studied Biomedical Sciences at Maastricht University[2][4] and attained a Master in Arabic and Islamic Studies from KU Leuven.[1]
Career
In 2017, Sabi debuted with short story collection titled Verkruimeld land.[2] The idea for the book was sparked during a visit in Casablanca, where she saw a stark contrast between the rich neighbourhood she stayed in and the nearby slums.[2] The book was compared to Zadie Smith's The Embassy of Cambodia and described as "blunt and gentle" and "resonating with current political questions about power dynamics between men and women, as well as migration."[5]
In 2022, Sabi published her first novel Half Leven, a family chronicle following three generations of Moroccan women searching for identity, connection and emancipation.[1]
In 2023, she released the novella Juli, about a middle-aged playwright on a sweltering day in Brussels.[1] The book was part of a series in twelve authors, amongst which Saskia De Coster, Annelies Verbeke and Bregje Hofstede, each wrote a book corresponding to a month, published by Das Mag.[6]
In 2025, she published Zo zingt de pijn: Van intergenerationeel trauma naar intergenerationele troost, which consists of essays about intergenerational consolation and how trauma might be healed in a non-verbal, bodily manner.[3][7] The book touches on her chronic stress and PMOS-diagnosis.[8] Together with actress and theater producer Dounia Mahammed, she reworked the piece into a theater monologue titled Dit is (niet) de evolutietheorie van de troost.[8]
Sabi is a columnist at De Morgen, and previously wrote for MO* magazine.[1][9] She previously wrote for the NTGent magazine.
Activism and controversy
In 2017, Sabi had a Twitter discussion with Belgian's State Secretary for Asylum, Migration Theo Francken about the changes to the Belgian Immigration Act.[10] This interaction gathered international attention and was covered in The New York Times.[10] Sabi then wrote an open letter to Francken titled "So I am deportable" (dutch: "Ik ben dus deporteerbaar") in the newspaper De Morgen, in which she called his policy "dehumanising".[4]
In 2025, she denounced a local cafe in Halle on social media for including an ethnic slur in the naming of one of their drinks, declaring the menu to resemble a menu you would expect "in the colonial sector of a musty museum."[11] The cafe owner then changed the name, albeit noting that "some people these days are quick to get indignant and take offence."
Bibliography
| Year | Title | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Verkruimeld land | Uitgeverij Atlas Contact | 9789025451059 |
| 2018 | Dichter bij Meester Bart | Pepper Books | 9789020633696 |
| 2019 | Le Ravage d'Ali Baba | Kaap | 9789463965521 |
| 2022 | Half leven | Das Mag Uitgevers | 9789493168442 |
| 2022 | Hoe de zon soms anders staat - Moeders met een migratieachtergrond over hun zorgenkind | Mammoet | 9789462673885 |
| 2023 | Juli | Das Mag Uitgevers | 9789493248809 |
| 2025 | Zo zingt de pijn: Van intergenerationeel trauma naar intergenerationele troost | Das Mag Uitgevers | 9789493399334 |
Awards
Sabi has been nominated and won the following awards:[1]
- 2017: Nominated for the Opzij Literatuurpijs
- 2017: Nominated for the LangZullenWeLezen trophy
- 2023: Won the PrixFintro Public Prize for Half leven
- 2023: Shortlisted for the Confituur Boekhandelsprijs for Half leven
- 2023: Shortlisted for the Hebban Debuutsprijs for Half leven
- 2023: Nominated for the Opzij Literatuurrpijs
- 2024: Won the Ultima for Emerging Talent
- 2024: Won the Jonge Veer as nominated by Babs Gons[12]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Aya Sabi | Departement Cultuur, Jeugd & Media". www.ultimas.be (in Dutch). Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Aya Sabi (21) debuteert: "Dat boek heeft altijd in mij gezeten"". Stampmedia (in Dutch). 2017-09-19. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- 1 2 ""Vincent Van Meenen durft te spelen met de literatuur, dat vind ik heel bevrijdend": de boeken in het leven van Aya Sabi". De Standaard (in Dutch). September 25, 2025. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- 1 2 Sabi, Aya (February 20, 2017). ""Ik ben dus deporteerbaar"". De Morgen. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
- ↑ van Wieringen, Hannah (November 3, 2017). "Hebben machthebbers wel oren naar hoop?". NRC. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- ↑ "De Maanden boeken". Alles over boeken en schrijvers. June 25, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- ↑ Wallaert, Sigrid (October 23, 2025). "Als je chronische pijn hebt: vier schrijvers proberen te vatten wat een lichaam met pijn ons vertelt". De Standaard. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- 1 2 Hillaert, Wouter (December 11, 2025). "Aya Sabi en Dounia Mahammed maken een monoloog over helen: "Als pijn kan worden doorgegeven over generaties, waarom dan troost niet?"". De Standaard. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Aya Sabi". De Morgen. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- 1 2 "Belgium's New Deportation Law Raises Red Flag With Civil Rights Groups". The New York Times. 2017-03-11. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- ↑ NWS, VRT (2025-02-26). "Halle café changes name of its chocolate milk with marshmallow drink after activist rails against it on Instagram | VRT NWS: news". VRT NWS. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
- ↑ "Winnares Gouden Ganzenveer Babs Gons zet jong talent Aya Sabi in de schijnwerper: 'We halen inspiratie uit dezelfde heldinnen'". Het Parool. May 26, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2026.