Portrait of Leila Aboulela

Leila Aboulela books in order

Sudanese writer and playwright

Born
1964
Country
Sudan
Books
7

Leila Aboulela has published 7 novels, beginning with The Translator (1999). The best-known is Minaret (2005). The latest is River Spirit (2023).

Updated September 2026

Where to start with Leila Aboulela

Leila Aboulela books in order of publication

  1. The Translator (1999)

    196 pages

  2. Coloured Lights (2001)

    163 pages

  3. Minaret (2005)

    276 pages

  4. Lyrics Alley (2010)

    310 pages

  5. The Kindness of Enemies (2015)

    329 pages

  6. Bird Summons (2019)

  7. River Spirit (Mar 2023)

About Leila Aboulela

Leila Fuad Aboulela is a fiction writer, essayist, and playwright of Sudanese origin based in Aberdeen, Scotland. She grew up in Khartoum, Sudan, and in 1990 moved to Scotland, where she began her literary career. As of 2023, Aboulela has published six novels and several short stories, which have been translated into fifteen languages. Her most popular novels, Minaret (2005) and The Translator (1999) both feature the stories of Muslim women in the UK and were longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award and Orange Prize. Aboulela's works have been included in publications such as Harper's Magazine, Granta, The Washington Post and The Guardian. BBC Radio has adapted her work extensively and broadcast a number of her plays, including The Insider, The Mystic Life and the historical drama The Lion of Chechnya. The five-part radio serialization of her 1999 novel The Translator was short-listed for the Race In the Media Award (RIMA).

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Leila Aboulela FAQ

How many books has Leila Aboulela written?
Leila Aboulela has published 7 novels that we list, as of September 2026.
What order should I read Leila Aboulela's books in?
Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Minaret.
What is Leila Aboulela's latest book?
River Spirit (2023).
What is Leila Aboulela's most famous book?
Minaret (2005) is Leila Aboulela's most widely read book.

Authors like Leila Aboulela

Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.