He is a retired professor of English and comparative literature, originally from Iraq. He taught at seven Arab universities until in 2004 he was invited by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai, to be his cultural adviser. In July 2012 he started his "active retirement" and settled in Cambridge, UK, producing seven books of critical studies and translations Arabic/English/Arabic. His published works have reached 57.
This autobiography is much more than a life story. Some people in politics, public service or in the world of arts may write their autobiography for personal purposes, so to speak.