The Desert Child Who Wrote to the Stars

Born in the quiet outskirts of Abu Dhabi in 1970, Samir Foz grew up surrounded by endless dunes and stories whispered by the wind. His father, Zahir Foz, a modest schoolteacher, would often read to him by the dim glow of a kerosene lamp. His mother, Mariam, filled their evenings with traditional folk tales — of jinns, wanderers, and the wisdom of the desert.

One night, at the age of ten, Samir gazed at the starry sky and wrote his first poem, “Letters to the Moon.” It was never published, but it became the foundation of his lifelong connection to words. Years later, as a student at Oxford University, he would remember that night when he received the Golden Quill Award for his anthology Whispers of the Dune.

Fame never changed Samir’s simplicity. Even after publishing over 100 poems and stories, he remained deeply connected to his roots. His works were translated into more than 15 languages, and his story The Silent Falcon won the Arabian Pearl of Art Award.

Samir often says, “I never wrote to impress; I wrote to remember.” Today, he spends his mornings in the hills of Dharamshala, India, writing under the same starlit sky that once inspired a desert boy.