Mahmoud Shukair was born in 1941 in Jerusalem. With a Masters degree in Philosophy and Sociology from Damascus University, he worked for many years as a teacher, journalist and editor-in-chief of the cultural magazines Al-Talia'a (The Vanguard) and Dafatir Thaqafiya (Cultural File).
He was jailed twice by the Israeli authorities for his political remarks, and was deported to Lebanon in 1975, not returning to Jerusalem until 1993. Shukair has written 25 books, including nine short story collections, as well as folktales and books for children. He has also written plays, scripts for television, and numerous articles. He is famous throughout the Arabic world for his work in the Short Short Story genre.
