Zahra Barri is an Egyptian and Irish writer and comedian, raised in Saudi Arabia. She writes comic literary fiction. She is best known for Daughters of the Nile (2024), which won the Unbound Firsts Writers of Colour Award.
Zahra Barri was raised in Saudi Arabia in a mixed Egyptian-Irish family. Barri completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Hertfordshire in 2021. She graduated with Distinction. This degree followed early success in fiction competitions. Her first unpublished novel received the Runner Up award in the Comedy Women in Print Prize in 2020. The award included a scholarship for postgraduate study.
Barri continued her academic work alongside creative practice. She completed a PhD in Creative Writing in 2025. During this period, she combined research with fiction and comedy. Her work was supported by the Society of Authors and the Arts Council.
In addition to writing, Barri works as a stand-up comedian. Her comedy has appeared on Channel 4’s Only Jokes a Muslim Can Tell. She has also featured on BBC Radio, BBC Asian Network, and BBC Period Dramas. These appearances expanded her public profile before her debut novel.
Her debut novel, Daughters of the Nile, won the Unbound Firsts Writers of Colour competition. It was later named one of the New Arab's Best Books of 2024. The novel was also the runner-up in the Comedy Women in Print Prize.
Daughters of the Nile is a multigenerational novel that follows three women from the Bin-Khalid family. The story moves between Paris, Cairo and Bristol. It focuses on how women reshape their futures over time.
The novel has received coverage in Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, The New Arab, Mojeh Magazine and DIVA Magazine.
Photo credit: zahrabarri.com
Zahra Barri was raised in Saudi Arabia in a mixed Egyptian-Irish family. Barri completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Hertfordshire in 2021. She graduated with Distinction. This degree followed early success in fiction competitions. Her first unpublished novel received the Runner Up award in the Comedy Women in Print Prize in 2020. The award included a scholarship for postgraduate study.
Barri continued her academic work alongside creative practice. She completed a PhD in Creative Writing in 2025. During this period, she combined research with fiction and comedy. Her work was supported by the Society of Authors and the Arts Council.
In addition to writing, Barri works as a stand-up comedian. Her comedy has appeared on Channel 4’s Only Jokes a Muslim Can Tell. She has also featured on BBC Radio, BBC Asian Network, and BBC Period Dramas. These appearances expanded her public profile before her debut novel.
Her debut novel, Daughters of the Nile, won the Unbound Firsts Writers of Colour competition. It was later named one of the New Arab's Best Books of 2024. The novel was also the runner-up in the Comedy Women in Print Prize.
Daughters of the Nile is a multigenerational novel that follows three women from the Bin-Khalid family. The story moves between Paris, Cairo and Bristol. It focuses on how women reshape their futures over time.
The novel has received coverage in Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, The New Arab, Mojeh Magazine and DIVA Magazine.
Photo credit: zahrabarri.com
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