Ahdaf Soueif is the author of two collections of short stories, two novels and a collection of essays. Her novel, The Map of Love, is a bestseller and has made her a household name across the globe. Her collection of essays on Palestine and the Middle East, Mezzaterra, have captivated the world and brought more light to the situation in Palestine. Soueif hits the reader with truth. As both British and Egyptian at once, she is able to captivate different audiences with her writing. She says that if the character is British then she will write as a Brit, but if the character is Egyptian, she will be Egyptian. Her latest novel, The Map of Love, was short listed for the Booker Prize in 1999. Bikya Masr: Many people would describe you as an activist writer, but how would you describe yourself? Ahdaf Soueif: I am a teller of stories. I want people to know me as a novelist. All the activism stuff is kind of a result of circumstance. What I write about is what is happening in my life at that certain moment. So if it comes out as being activist it is just natural and that is where I am at that point in my life and it comes through in my writing. BM: Why have you chosen writing as your medium of expression? Soueif: I still enjoy fiction and so do so many people. It is still a pleasure people have. I believe it serves a function in our lives today. Readers still have an aesthetic pleasure of entering another world. BM: How would you characterize the Middle East, today, if you had to tell a westerner? Soueif: I’d say it is still a great place and they are certain to enjoy it. They should definitely go to the Middle East. If you had a friend it would be much more interesting because then you get to see the crisis first hand. People have to get to know you [Arabs] and they have to begin to understand the crisis in the region. BM: What do you mean by crisis? Souief: By that I mean poverty and wealth. Poverty was not as great as it is today. The great disparity between the wealthy and the poor threatens the fabric of society. You can see the protest movements in the region. They are attempting to recapture the rights that have been lost. But I believe that the gap is growing between the wealthy and the poor and until we get it under control the region will continue the way it is heading. BM: You mentioned activism, how do you see activism in the region; is there a future for these groups? Soueif: I certainly hope they have a future. They probably have a future but they have problems. First, they don’t have the strong roots like other activist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood has a population base that other groups don’t have. Second, there is a structure problem. It may be that their strengths are also their weaknesses. For example, groups such as Kefaya here in Egypt, are not a party and are too inclusive. They insist on being horizontal and that limits their mobilization. However, in essence they are probably truly democratic in nature. So, it is hard to say where they are going, but they must force the discourse not to go to extremes. BM: How do you respond to people who say your books are activist in nature? Soueif: Part of the effect of books is activism. It is impossible to sit down and write an activist novel. You are a novelist and you write about what moves you, so if politics is strong in you at the time, you will end up writing a good novel that is also activist in nature. What happens at the time of writing changes what you are writing as you go. BM: If you could change one thing in the world today what would it be? Soueif: The Palestinian issue. If I could change one thing in the whole world it would be that. Also, I would like to see the wealth and poverty disparity changed, and the media. BM: The media? Soueif: They need to be less committed to their own ideals. The media should do their job better, instead of resorting to simple sound bites. I think the selection process in news coverage demonstrates how poor the media is. Just look at Israeli and Palestinian coverage in the states. If people are not informed, it is the media’s fault. They don’t see their job as to inform any longer. It is a black and white confrontation that we are facing. The media uses a binary way of presenting things, which goes against pluralistic society and only serves a political end. ** This interview originally ran on October 1, 2009. BM
