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Born in 1922, Salmá al-Ḥaffār Kuzbarī grew up to become a prominent Arab woman writer, winning many awards for her lifetime of work. Daughter of a Syrian family, her father, Lutfi al-Ḥaffār, served as Syrian prime minister during the French Mandate, later becoming an ardent supporter of Syrian independence. She enjoyed her father’s support throughout her personal and public life. She published more than 12 novels and short stories. She also published two collections of poetry in French. Her first book, Hala’s Diaries (1950), was an autobiographical work and was later followed by a second entitled Amber and Ashes (1970). One of her last works, Lutfi al-Ḥaffār: 1885-1968, chronicles the life of her politician father and the significant role he played in the political events of his era. While she is most remembered for the 17 years of research she spent on literary figure May Ziadeh, which resulted in two books on Ziadeh's life and the discovery of Khalil Gibran's Love Letters to her, she extensively immersed herself in the Arab literary influence in Spain during her many years spent there, as the wife of Nader Kuzbarī, Ambassador of Syria, and in later stages of her life. In 1965, the Spanish Government awarded her with the Isabela Catholica honor medal for her literary contributions. She also holds the King Faisal International Award for Arabic Literature for her particular study of May Ziadeh's life. She died in Beirut in 2006 at the age of 84.

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