Dr Rashad Qushaysh

Profile

I am a Postdoctoral Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at the University of Leeds. Prior to this role, I taught undergraduate modules in Arabic Studies and Literature in the same School. I hold a BA in English Literature, and an MA and PhD in Literature and Translation Studies (2024), both from the University of Leeds.

In the field of Arabic/English literature and translation, I am working as a publisher, published writer, translator and professional trainer. I established Athra, a leading publishing house and translation training center dedicated to developing translators' skills. Since its inception in 2020, I have been the editor-in-chief, overseeing the Athra Translator’s Development Project—a structured one-year program focused on practical book translation that culminates in professionally published works. Within Athra, I have supervised and published more than 100 translated books (2022-Ongoing), in collaboration with prestigious universities and publishing houses worldwide. This includes partnerships with the esteemed presses of institutions like Harvard University, Columbia University, the University of Chicago and Princeton University. Beyond my roles at the University of Leeds and Athra, I have delivered over 100 invited lectures and seminars at universities across the Gulf and in the UK. Further, I have managed, directed, and supervised a number of professional translation projects across the Gulf. Moreover, I host the weekly literary podcast (Awo), available on YouTube, SoundCloud, Apple Podcast and Google Podcast, exploring topics on languages, cultures, world literature and translation studies.

Publications

Classical Arabic Literature in English Translation – A Sociological Investigation (Postdoctoral Project, Ongoing).

Modern Arabic Self-Translators: A Sociological Approach (Monograph, Forthcoming 2026).

Qushaysh, R. 2021. Indelible Crossing. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing House. (English self-translation).

Qushaysh, R. 2017. عبور لا ينمحي أثره [Indelible Crossing] (6th ed.). Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Self-published. (In Arabic). [Goodreads].

Qushaysh, R. 2014. حين رأيت صوتي [When I Saw My Voice] (9th ed.). Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Self-published. (In Arabic). [Goodreads].

Qushaysh, R. 2011. مرآة تبحث عن وجه [A Mirror Looking for a Face] (20th ed.). Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Self-published. (In Arabic). [Goodreads].

Selected Translations by Athra Translation Publishing House (Translated by Graduates of the Athra Translator Development Project, 2022–Ongoing):

Hoffer, E. 2022. مشقة التغيير [The Ordeal of Change]. Translated by Asmaa Asiri. Originally published by Harper & Row. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

The Authors Guild. 2022. الكاتب ومجالسة الفكرة [The Writer’s Book]. Translated by Hessa Al-Omran. Originally published by The Authors Guild. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Salinger, J.D. 2022. تسع حكايات [Nine Stories]. Translated by Ghaida Al-Shubaiki. Originally published by Little, Brown and Company. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Tashi, Y. 2022. الفطنة [Common Sense]. Translated by Reham Al-Harbi. Originally published by G.P. Putnam's Sons. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Woolf, V. 2022. مذكرات كاتبة [The Diary]. Translated by Noora Al-Subaie. Originally published by Hogarth Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Goffman, E. 2022. السلوك في الأماكن العامة [Behavior in Public Places]. Translated by Bayader Al-Nassian. Originally published by Free Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Caprino, K. 2024. أنا الأقوى [The Most Powerful You]. Translated by Amani Al-Bawardi. Originally published by BenBella Books. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Kaag, J. 2024. نفوس سقيمة وعقول سليمة [Sick Souls, Healthy Minds]. Translated by Hessa Al-Omran. Originally published by Princeton University Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Engle, S. 2024. حياة الأطفال الفكرية [The Intellectual Lives of Children]. Translated by Sarah Al-Harbi. Originally published by Harvard University Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Larson, F.J. 2024. أسطورة الذكاء الاصطناعي [The Myth of Artificial Intelligence]. Translated by Bandar Al-Talidi. Originally published by Harvard University Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Evenson, B. 2024. أغنية انهيار العالم [Song for the Unraveling of the World]. Translated by Rowan Abu Noh. Originally published by Coffee House Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Schneider, S. 2024. الذكاء الاصطناعي [Artificial You: AI and the Future of Your Mind]. Translated by Heba Al-Omari. Originally published by Princeton University Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Alacevich, M. 2024. سيرة ألبرت هيرشمان الفكرية [Albert O. Hirschman: An Intellectual Biography]. Translated by Razan Al-Behilal. Originally published by Princeton University Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Panteleakos, N. 2024. كوكب الأرض أزرق [Planet Earth Is Blue]. Translated by Huda Sufyan. Originally published by Random House Children’s Books. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Varol, O. 2024. فكر علماء الصواريخ [Think Like a Rocket Scientist]. Translated by Lama Al-Jarid. Originally published by PublicAffairs. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Call, A.P. 2022. مسألة بدهية [As a Matter of Course]. Translated by Ruba Al-Amoudi. Originally published by Little, Brown and Company. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Caprino, K. 2024. أنا الأقوى [The Most Powerful You]. Translated by Amani Al-Bawardi. Originally published by BenBella Books. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Kaag, J. 2024. نفوس سقيمة وعقول سليمة [Sick Souls, Healthy Minds]. Translated by Hessa Al-Omran. Originally published by Princeton University Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Tashi, Y. 2022. الفطنة [Common Sense]. Translated by Reham Al-Harbi. Originally published by G.P. Putnam's Sons. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Wharton, E. 2024. أدب الخيال والكتابة فيه [The Writing of Fiction]. Translated by Khawla Al-Shahri. Originally published by Scribner. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Cranston, B. 2024. محطات حياتي [A Life in Parts]. Translated by Manal Al-Sentli. Originally published by Scribner. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Bishop, J. 2024. ما لا تجرؤ على قوله [Things You Can’t Say]. Translated by Omaima Al-Harbi. Originally published by Alfred A. Knopf. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Croft, J. 2024. نزعة اللغة [Homesick]. Translated by Abeer Al-Khaldi. Originally published by Unnamed Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Mazzeo, T.J. 2024. أطفال إيرينا [Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto]. Translated by Taif Al-Otaibi. Originally published by Gallery Books. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Bartlow, A. 2024. السعي وراء النجاح [Scaling for Success: People Priorities for High-Growth Organizations]. Translated by Ola Al-Akhras. Originally published by Columbia Business School Publishing. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Virk, R. 2024. خرافات الشركات الناشئة [Startup Myths and Models]. Translated by Ghada Al-Juraifani. Originally published by Columbia University Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

Schneider, S. 2024. الذكاء الاصطناعي [Artificial You: AI and the Future of Your Mind]. Translated by Hiba Ali Al-Omari. Originally published by Princeton University Press. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Athra Publishing. (In Arabic).

All translated and published books by Athra are available at the Athra Online Book Store.

Research interests

My research brings together two main strands: Arabic-to-English self-translated fiction and classical Arabic literature in English translation. In my doctoral work at the University of Leeds, I reconstructed the subfield of Arabic self-translation as a historically constituted and socially situated activity, drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological framework. This work examines how Arabic fiction is self-translated, the social forces that shape this practice, and the agents who have contributed to its evolution from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. The thesis has now developed into a full monograph, provisionally titled Modern Arabic Self-Translators: A Sociological Approach (forthcoming 2026).

Building on the same sociological framework, my postdoctoral project investigates classical Arabic literature in English translation. While previous scholarship has primarily traced the internal literary history of the Arabic canon, my research shifts the focus to the sociological forces that determine which classical works are made available to English-speaking audiences. It explores the selective visibility of foundational figures in Arabic literature whose most significant works remain untranslated.

Qualifications

• PhD in Literature and Translation Studies, University of Leeds (2024)
• MA in Literature and Translation Studies, University of Leeds (2018)
• BA in English Literature and Translation Studies, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (2015)

Professional memberships

• Associate Fellowship in Higher Education
• British Association of Teachers of Arabic (BATA)
• Certificate in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL)

Student education

I contribute to Enlgish and Arabic Literature and Translation Studies as a Postdoctoral Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at the University of Leeds.