{{Short description|Saudi writer}} {{Infobox person | name = Belques Melhem | image = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|08|09}} | birth_place = Hofuf | citizenship = Saudi Arabia | occupation = poet, novelist, short story writer and school teacher }}

'''Belques Muhammad Abdullah Al-Melhem''' (Arabic: بلقيس محمد عبدالله الملحم; born August 9, 1977) is a Saudi poet and short story writer who was born and raised in Hofuf, Al-Ahsa. She received a BA in Islamic studies from King Faisal University in Dammam. She works as a teacher. She was appointed as an ambassador for free culture in the Arabian Gulf in 2012 from the Naji Noaman Foundation. She has published several collections of short stories, poetry and novels, and has won several local and regional awards.

== Her biography == Belques Muhammad Abdullah Al-Melhem was born on Shaaban 24, 1397 / August 9, 1977 in Hofuf, Al- Ahsa. His father is the poet and jurist Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Melhem,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2020-09-25|title=جريدة الرياض {{!}} بلقيس الملحم: قضية فقد أخي.. سر دخولي عوالم الأدب العراقي!|url=http://www.alriyadh.com/845405/|access-date=2021-11-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925053318/http://www.alriyadh.com/845405/|archive-date=2020-09-25}}</ref> encouraged her since she was ten years old.<ref name=":1" /> She received her BA in Islamic Studies from King Faisal University in Dammam. She works as a secondary school teacher in Dammam and Saihat.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-14 |title=بلقيس الملحم – مركز النور |url=http://www.alnoor.se/author.asp?id=793 |access-date=2021-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114114915/http://www.alnoor.se/author.asp?id=793 |archive-date=14 November 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> She participated in several festivals and had literary contributions, including the Janadriyah Festival for two consecutive years, 1432–33 AH / 2011–12 AD. She was appointed an Extraordinary Ambassador for Free Culture by the Naji Noaman Foundation for Free Culture on March 29, 2013

In late 2013, blogs, Facebook pages, and even well-known media circulated False news that she was killed by her two brothers, Muhammad and Tariq.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-25 |title=ومن الإنترنت ما قتل: التصفية الافتراضية للكاتبة السعودية بلقيس الملحم |url=https://www.france24.com/ar/20140121-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%84%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%85-%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%AA-%D8%A3%D9%83%D8%B0%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A9/ |access-date=2021-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925053322/https://www.france24.com/ar/20140121-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%84%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%85-%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%AA-%D8%A3%D9%83%D8%B0%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A9/ |archive-date=25 September 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Her literary career == She writes free poetry, short stories and literary articles and is published in many local and Arab newspapers and many websites. She stated about her literary career that "she loved poetry, married the story and gave birth to the novel, and love is only for the first lover.."<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2020-09-25 |title=بلقيس الملحم: عشقت الشعر وتزوجت القصة وأنجبت الرواية وما الحب إلا للحبيب الأولِّ |url=http://www.al-jazirah.com/2014/20140125/cu4.htm/ |access-date=2021-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925053324/http://www.al-jazirah.com/2014/20140125/cu4.htm/ |archive-date=25 September 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> She wrote articles on a weekly basis in ''Okaz'' newspaper for nearly four months and in ''Shams'' newspaper for nearly eight months. In her journalistic book, she dealt with general social issues, but she stopped.<ref name=":2" />

She best known for her ''short'' story collection, The ''Widow of Ziryab: Short Stories from Iraq,'' especially among Iraqi critics, including Najm Abdullah Kazem,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-25 |title=رشــا فاضــل: (أرملة زرياب) وشعريّة القص لبلقيس الملحم – الناقد العراقي |url=https://www.alnaked-aliraqi.net/article/566.php/ |access-date=2021-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925053325/https://www.alnaked-aliraqi.net/article/566.php/ |archive-date=25 September 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> "Belques was able to write with an Iraqi pen of affiliation, and her sentences were as simple and not complicated as the politics of war in Iraq and its people, and her characters appeared with a persistently painful tone, in line with the rhythm of life that Iraqis live and the rhythm of death that they die."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-25|title=جريدة الجريدة الكويتية {{!}} أرملة زرياب|url=https://www.aljarida.com/articles/1460971795360296300//|access-date=2021-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925053331/https://www.aljarida.com/articles/1460971795360296300//|archive-date=2020-09-25}}</ref>

== Her personal life == She is married and has five children.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-25 |title=كتابات في الميزان / الكتّاب |url=https://www.kitabat.info/author.php?id=125/ |access-date=2021-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925031113/https://www.kitabat.info/author.php?id=125/ |archive-date=25 September 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Her prizes ==

* 2012: Naji Noaman International Award for Diwan, ''may God be pleased with my country'', Creativity Award. * BBC Short Story Award. * March 2012: The Disappointing Woman Medal from the Arab Intellectual Foundation in Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-25 |title=المثقف تكرّم الأستاذة الأديبة بلقيس الملحم لمناسبة يوم المرأة العالمي |url=http://www.almothaqaf.com/k/k18/61428/ |access-date=2021-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925053337/http://www.almothaqaf.com/k/k18/61428/ |archive-date=25 September 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> * November 2018: Al-Multaqa Prize for Arabic Short Story in Kuwait for ''Do you buy my clothes.''<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-25|title=القائمة الطويلة لجائزة الملتقى للقصة القصيرة تضم 10 كتاب من 8 دول {{!}} Reuters|url=https://fr.reuters.com/article/kuwait-shortstories-as3-idARAKCN1MB1CB/|access-date=2021-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925053340/https://fr.reuters.com/article/kuwait-shortstories-as3-idARAKCN1MB1CB/|archive-date=2020-09-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-25|title=جائزة الملتقى للقصة القصيرة العربية تفصح عن قائمتها القصيرة {{!}} MEO|url=https://meo.news/%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%89-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%B5%D8%AD-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9/|access-date=2021-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925053342/https://meo.news/%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%89-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%B5%D8%AD-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9/|archive-date=2020-09-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-25 |title=جائزة الملتقى للقصة القصيرة تعلن قائمتها القصيرة |url=https://www.aljazeera.net/news/cultureandart/2018/11/3/%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%89-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86/ |access-date=2021-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925053344/https://www.aljazeera.net/news/cultureandart/2018/11/3/%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%89-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86/ |archive-date=25 September 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Her books ==

* ''The Widow of Ziryab: Short Stories from Iraq'', 2008 ( ISBN 9786140206496 ) * ''The Desired Kingdoms Fire'', Novel, 2012 * ''What the Water Said to the Reed'', Poetry Collection, 2012<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://alnoor.se/article.asp?id=144142/ |access-date=2021-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925030219/http://alnoor.se/article.asp?id=144142/ |archive-date=25 September 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> * ''The Saint's'' Napkins, a poetry collection, 2015 ( ISBN 9786140226487 ) * ''Bigman Who Saw Half of Her Face'', Novel, 2015 ( ISBN 9786140117327 ) * ''Loaf.. Dates.. Iraqi mourning! : Very Short Stories'', 2016 * ''Before Love'' Extincts, a poetic trilogy with Yahya Al-Samawi and Alwan Hussein, 2017 ( ISBN 9786140226548 ) * ''Would You Buy My Clothes?: Short Stories from Iraq'', 2018

== See also == * List of Saudi poets * Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Melhem * Yahya Al-Samawi

== References == {{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melhem, Belques Muhammad Abdullah}} Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century Saudi Arabian writers Category:21st-century Saudi Arabian poets Category:21st-century Saudi Arabian women writers Category:King Faisal University alumni