WRITER

Waris Dirie

1965 - Today

Photo of Waris Dirie

Icon of person Waris Dirie

Waris Dirie (Somali: Waris Diiriye; born 21 October 1965) is a Somali model, author, actress and human rights activist in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). From 1997 to 2003, she was a UN special ambassador against FGM. In 2002 she founded her own organization in Vienna, the Desert Flower Foundation. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Waris Dirie has received more than 1,381,992 page views. Her biography is available in 45 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 43 in 2019). Waris Dirie is the 992nd most popular writer (up from 1,106th in 2019), the most popular biography from Somalia (up from 3rd in 2019) and the most popular Somali Writer.

Waris Dirie is most famous for her memoir, Desert Flower, which tells the story of her life as a nomadic child and the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.4M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 61.76

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 45

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 10.53

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.28

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Wuestenblume
Desert Children
2005
DESERT CHILDREN; TRANS. BY SHEELAGH ALABASTER
Desert flower
Women
1998
Mijn Woestijn
1998
Desert Dawn
Diplomats
Fashion model, UN ambassador and courageous spirit, Waris Dirie is a remarkable woman, born into a traditional family of tribal desert nomads in Somalia. She told her story - enduring, at five years old, the ancient and savage custom of female circumcision; running away at twelve on foot through the desert in order to escape an arranged marriage; being discovered by Terence Donovan as she worked as a cleaner in London; and becoming a top fashion model - in her book, the worldwide bestseller, Desert Flower. Although Waris Dirie fled her homeland, she never forgot the country and culture that moulded her. The very world that nearly destroyed her also gave her the tools to survive. She traces the roots of her courage, resilience and humour back to her motherland, and most particularly to her mother. Desert Dawn is the story of that return. Desert Dawn is about coming home.
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Among WRITERS

Among writers, Waris Dirie ranks 992 out of 7,302. Before her are Jean de Joinville, Richard Matheson, Christoph Martin Wieland, Aron Nimzowitsch, Assia Djebar, and Pierre-Jean de Béranger. After her are Corinna, John Fowles, Samuel Richardson, William Styron, Mimnermus, and Henry Fielding.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1965, Waris Dirie ranks 18. Before her are Charlie Sheen, Brandon Lee, Robert Downey Jr., Laurent Blanc, Dragan Stojković, and José Luis Chilavert. After her are Gong Li, Ben Stiller, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dr. Dre, Mohammed Deif, and Rodney King.

Others Born in 1965

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In Somalia

Among people born in Somalia, Waris Dirie ranks 1 out of 58. After her are Mohamed Farrah Aidid (1934), Siad Barre (1919), Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (1955), Hassan Gouled Aptidon (1916), Iman (1955), Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (1934), Muse Bihi Abdi (1948), Aden Adde (1908), Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (1856), Nur Hassan Hussein (1937), and Abdirashid Shermarke (1919).

Others born in Somalia

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Among WRITERS In Somalia

Among writers born in Somalia, Waris Dirie ranks 1. After her are Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (1856), Nuruddin Farah (1945), and Nadifa Mohamed (1981).

Somali born Writers

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