The Translator is a story about love, both human and divine. Sammar is a young Sudanese widow, working as an Arabic translator at a British university. Following the sudden death of her husband and estrangement from her young son, she drifts grieving and isolated. Life takes a positive turn when she finds herself falling in love with Rae, a Scottish academic. To Sammar, he seems to come from another world and another culture, yet they are drawn to each other. 'Aboulela is a wonderfully poetic writer ... It is a pleasure to read a novel so full of feeling and yet so serene' The Guardian

A story of love and faith all the more moving for the restraint with which it is written' J.M. Coetzee# 'A lyrical journey about exile, loss and love... poetry in motion' The Sunday Times 'She pulls you into her world as she refracts British life, its smells and sounds, its advertisements and turns of phrase.' Independent 'An exceptionally well-crafted and beautifully written novel' The Guardian Sammar is a young Sudanese widow, working as an Arabic translator at a British university. Following the sudden death of her husband, and estranged from her young son, she drifts, grieving and isolated. Life takes a positive turn when she finds herself falling in love with Rae, a Scottish academic. To Sammar, he seems to come from another world and another culture, yet they are drawn to each other. "The Translator" is a story about love, both human and divine. Leila Aboulela's first novel, first published in 1999, was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction and the IMPAC Dublin Award, and was shortlisted for the Saltire Prize. It has subsequently appeared in editions worldwide.