Dr. Robin Bet-Shmuel
Writer, Poet, Syriac Language Scholar, Editor
Education
- Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering, University of Baghdad, Iraq
- Bachelor’s in Hebrew Language, University of Baghdad, Iraq
- Master’s in Syriac Language & Literature, Leiden University, The Netherlands
- Doctorate in Syriac Language & Literature, Lebanese University, Lebanon
Academic & Professional Roles
- Worked as an engineer for Northern Oil Company in Kirkuk, Iraq
- Expert in the Syriac Language Department, Iraqi Scientific Assembly, Baghdad
- Lecturer of Syriac Language at the College of Languages, University of Baghdad; also served as Syriac Language Commissioner (2004-2006)
- Member of the General Union of Iraqi Writers
- Member of Kurdistan Journalists, Erbil, Iraq
- Editor & Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Simtha Magazine, Dohuk (since 2007)
- Editor of Popular Council Magazine, Dohuk (since 2007)
- Editor of Panipal Magazine under the Ministry of Culture & Youth, Kurdistan Regional Government (publication currently paused)
Selected Publications & Literary Work
Dr. Bet-Shmuel has a substantial output as translator, literary scholar, poet, and writer. Some highlights:
- Translation of The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran into Modern Syriac (Sureth) from Arabic (with Youaresh Hedo), Baghdad, 1998
- Seven Crosses, a translation to Modern Syriac from Arabic of selected international and Iraqi short stories, Baghdad, 1998
- Sargon Paulos, Life and Literature (Modern Syriac & Arabic), a study including poetry and novels of Iraqi poet Sargon Paulos
- The First Born of Prints, a pioneering study on the first Assyrian newspaper “Zahrere D’Bahra” (Urmia, Iran)
- Assyrians at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, published in three editions (2000, 2008, 2013) in Dohuk, Iraq
- Dalope: Droplets in Sureth, poetry / literature collection, 2008, Dohuk
- Dreams Looking for a Head (poems & short stories in Sureth), 2009, Dohuk
Other works of translation, editing, literary criticism, and arranging symposia and books in Syriac, Arabic, English
Other Roles & Recognition
- Active member of the Iraqi Scientific Academy as of 2024
- An influential voice in reviving and promoting Syriac language, literature, identity, and Assyrian heritage through lectures, poetry, translation, and editorial work.
Dr. Robin Bet-Shmuel stands at the intersection of language, literature, cultural heritage, and identity. Her work preserves and advances Syriac literary culture, connects multiple languages (Arabic, Syriac, Hebrew), and contributes to both academic scholarship and creative expression.
