Ayman Otoom

Otoom was born in Jerash, in northern Jordan. He went to high in the United Arab Emirates, then returned to Jordan and got a degree in civil engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology, in 1997, then shifted careers toward language and literature. He received a BA in Arabic from Yarmouk University in 1997, and then a Master's and PhD in Arabic from the University of Jordan, in 2007, and teaches in Amman.^[1]

As of 2013^[update], he had published three novels.^[1] He is a teacher in Amman. His novel O my two companions of the prison (2012) reflects the personal experience of the writer in Jordanian prisons during 1996 and 1997 as a political prisoner.^[7] His novel Soldiers' Talk is a retelling of a protest in 1986 at Yarmouk University, which was suppressed by Jordanian security forces.^[8] Otoom was fined 5000 Dinar because the book "foment[ed] religious and racial discord", and was detained for eight months following the verdict.^[9][10]

In 2016, he was arrested for two days. He was released on bail. He was accused of blasphemy according to his lawyer.^[11][12]

He has written poetry as well, including Take me to the Al-Aqsa Mosque (2013).^[1][13][14] In 2013 he was invited to participate in the nadwa organized for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, a masterclass in writing.^{[15][16][17][18][19]}

Ayman Otoom's literature is known for its Islamic character.^[9]

Novels

• Oh _you_ Two Companions of The Prison (2012)
• They Hear Its Whispering (2012)
• The Taste of Death (2013)
• Soldiers' Talk (2014)

The novel They Hear Her Whispering is a bestseller amongst prison literature and it earned fame due to the controversy surrounding it.^[20][21]

They Hear Her Whispering tells the story of a prisoner in Palmyra prison and the Syrian Al-Khatib military prison. Otoom at the beginning of the novel. ^[22][23]

Poetry

• Take me to the Al-Aqsa Mosque (2013)