Larissa Bender

Larissa Bender (born 1958) studied Islamic Studies, ethnology, art history and sociology in Cologne and Berlin, as well as Arabic in Damascus. Her work included translating Arabic literature, journalism, teaching Arabic, moderating and cultural mediation. Authors she translated include Abdalrachman Munif, Mustafa Khalifa, Dima Wannous and Khaled Khalifa. Bender edited two anthologies on Syria, including the 2014 collection “Innenansichten aus Syrien” (“Insights from Syria”). In 2018, she received Germany’s Federal Cross of Merit for her work promoting understanding between the Arab and German worlds. In 2025, she received the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding for her translation of Mustafa Khalifa’s novel “The Shell”.