Makarim Al-Ghamri obtained her BA from the College of Linguistics at Ain Shams University in Cairo in 1967, and a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Moscow University in 1973. Her academic career extends over 30 years during which she served as Professor of Comparative Russian Literature at the College of Linguistics in Ain Shams University, Chair of the Department of Slavic Languages and Director of the Translation Department, Vice-Dean and Dean of the College of Linguistics. She added new departments and a center for Chinese Studies. She is a member of the Translation Committee of the Supreme Council for Culture in Egypt, the Egyptian Chapter of the International Pen Club and the Egyptian Society of Comparative Literature.
Her works include: Russian Novel in the 19th Century, and Arabic and Islamic effects on Russian Literature in addition to translations of several Russian articles, novels and plays such as War and Peace by Bulgakov, Alive Forever by Remizov and several works of the 19th Century Russian playwright Aleksandr Ostrvskii (1823-1886). Professor Al-Ghamri also participates actively in the cultural life of Cairo through her writings and participation in cultural radio and television programs.
This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.