Samīra al-Māni' was born in Basra and received a BA in Arabic literature from the University of Baghdad.
She moved to London in 1965 and earned a diploma in librarianship from Ealing Technical College there in 1976.
She participated in the International Writing Program at Iowa University in 1990.
[2][3] Her work often depicts Arab women attempting to adapt to life in other countries.
[4] She is married to Salah Niazi the Iraqi poet; the couple have two daughters.