Emily Drumsta

Emily Drumsta is an Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and French & Italian Studies in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and specializes in modern Arabic and Francophone literatures, with particular expertise in twentieth-century Arabic fiction and literary translation.

Drumsta's research focuses on the intersections of Arabic and Francophone literary traditions, examining how literary forms like detective fiction and free verse poetry engage with political movements including Arab nationalism. Her work demonstrates deep engagement with questions of literary form, political expression, and cross-cultural translation. She has made significant contributions to understanding the work of pioneering Iraqi poet Nazik al-Mala'ika (1923-2007), who revolutionized Arabic poetry through her adoption of free verse while maintaining connections to traditional metrical structures.

Her scholarly output spans book-length studies, translations of significant literary works, and contributions to edited volumes on global modernism. Drumsta approaches literary analysis with attention to historical context, particularly examining how literary forms respond to political transformations in the Middle East.

• PEN/Heim Translation prize in 2018 for "Revolt Against the Sun: The Selected Poetry of Nazik al-Mala'ikah"

Drumsta serves as faculty advisor for the MES & MELC GSC (Graduate Student Committee) and teaches cross-listed courses spanning Middle Eastern Studies, French, Comparative Literature, and African Studies. Her innovative course offerings include "Reading The Maghreb," "Theory and Practice of Literary Translation," and "Global Detective Fiction." As co-founder of Tahrir Documents, she has helped create an important digital archive of newspapers, broadsides, pamphlets, and other ephemera collected during Egypt's 2011 uprisings, demonstrating her commitment to preserving historical documents of political significance.

Her active presence in academic podcasts and public scholarship demonstrates her commitment to making scholarly work accessible beyond traditional academic venues, engaging with broader audiences on topics of Arabic literature, translation challenges, and the cultural significance of literary movements.