Larissa Bender, born in 1958, studied Islamic Studies, Ethnology, Art History, and Sociology in Cologne and Berlin, Germany, and has spent many years in Syria. She works as a literary translator from Arabic, a journalist specializing in Syrian and Arabic literature, and as lecturer in Arabic. She is also a moderator, reviewer of Arabic literature, and an advisor to publishers and cultural organisers. She has edited two anthologies on Syria and translated numerous Syrian authors.