Hala Halim is an Egyptian

Egyptians

Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...

 academic and translator. She studied literature at university, obtaining a BA from Alexandria University

Alexandria University

Alexandria University is a university in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1938 as a satellite of Fuad University , becoming an independent entity in 1942. It was known as Farouk University until the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 when its name was changed to the University of Alexandria...

 in 1985 and an MA from the American University in Cairo

American University in Cairo

The American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...

 in 1992. She completed her doctorate from UCLA in 2004. Her PhD dissertation "The Alexandria Archive: An Archaeology of Alexandrian Cosmopolitanism" is being published as a book. Halim has written extensively about literature and culture, covering subjects as diverse as Youssef Chahine

Youssef Chahine

Youssef Chahine was an Egyptian film director active in the Egyptian film industry since 1950. He was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif...

, EM Forster and Constantine Cavafy. She is currently an assistant professor in the Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies department of New York University

New York University

New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

.

Halim has translated Mohamed El-Bisatie's novel Clamor of the Lake. The translation won an Egyptian State Incentive Award and was runner-up for the Banipal Prize in 2006.