Ramsco's Women Empowerment Initiative Recognized Among Top BRICS Businesswomen Practices for 2025    Egypt, Elsewedy review progress on Ain Sokhna phosphate complex    Gold prices end July with modest gains    Pakistan says successfully concluded 'landmark trade deal' with US    Egypt's FM, US envoy discuss Gaza ceasefire, Iran nuclear talks    Modon Holding posts AED 2.1bn net profit in H1 2025    Egypt's Electricity Ministry says new power cable for Giza area operational    Egypt's Al-Sisi, Italian defence minister discuss Gaza, security cooperation    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, Nile dam with US senators    Aid airdrops intensify as famine deepens in Gaza amid mounting international criticism    Health minister showcases AI's impact on healthcare at Huawei Cloud Summit    On anti-trafficking day, Egypt's PM calls fight a 'moral and humanitarian duty'    Federal Reserve maintains interest rates    Egypt strengthens healthcare partnerships to enhance maternity, multiple sclerosis, and stroke care    Egypt keeps Gaza aid flowing, total tops 533,000 tons: minister    Indian Embassy to launch cultural festival in Assiut, film fest in Cairo    Egyptian aid convoy heads toward Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens    Culture minister launches national plan to revive film industry, modernise cinematic assets    Rafah Crossing 'never been closed for one day' from Egypt: PM    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Egypt, Oman discuss environmental cooperation    Egypt's EDA explores pharma cooperation with Belarus    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Can Egyptian writers deliver another "Yacoubian Building" success?
Published in Daily News Egypt on 02 - 02 - 2007

CAIRO: Earlier this week, at a wine and shrimp-fuelled soiree packed with British literati, Egyptian novelist Miral El Tahawi was on the prowl.
This was her chance to swap business cards with a group of influential publishers who have the power to put her novels on European bookshelves and nightstands - a feat that's next to impossible for many Arab writers. "All of us dream about being internationally read, but the chance to [achieve] it is very rare, she tells The Daily Star Egypt.
While some of Tahawi's works, such as The Tent and The Blue Eggplant, are available in English, her books have yet to find a wide audience of readers in Europe.
"The market is very tough. It's very challenging, she says.
The event, which was held at The British Council and timed to coincide with the Cairo Book Fair, is an attempt to strengthen literary networks between the Arab world and Europe. It's also a bid to get past the headlines, says Sarah Evans, the British Council's regional director.
"A lot of cultural engagement is through the media and politicians and this is really superficial. The power of literature is that it is person to person - it has the power to break stereotypes, she says.
Tahawi agrees, saying that "Arabic literature is very rich and very different and has many different voices. We're not just folklore or a hot political area. We dream . that other cultures will take us seriously, she says.
Caroline Dawnay, a literary agent from London visiting Cairo, says there's a "real hunger amongst British bookworms for Arabic novelists; it's just a matter of finding the writers and taking the right steps.
However, while Dawnay admits she hasn't read much modern Arabic literature, she notes that her goal is to find "writing I can fall in love with.
One work which has managed to cross the cultural divide is Alaa Al Aswany's The Yacoubian Building, which will officially reach the commonwealth countries via Britain's 5th Estate publishing house next month.
Mitzi Angel, the company's editorial director who is also in town for the Cairo Book Fair, says she jumped at the chance to bring the book to Britain because it was a "phenomenon in the Arab world and was creating an enormous amount of buzz.
The challenge for Angel, who recently signed a war-ravaged memoir by Sierra Leone's Ishmael Beah, is to try and replicate that success again.
"I'm sure that there's more, it's just a matter of crossing some of the hurdles.
One of those hurdles is an intrinsic lack of trust, says Sherif Fekri Muhammad, an executive and project manager with Nahdet Misr Publishing and Printing, a Cairo-based company.
"From what I hear, [the British publishers] are looking for fiction books for adults. This is the main subject, he says, adding that "maybe they don't trust the Arabic writers who translate facts or history.
While Muhammad is keen to work with foreign publishers and has brought translations of both Disney and National Geographic titles to Egyptian readers, he stresses that true Arab voice will only be heard when English readers dip into religious, historical and non-fiction works.
"This is a good way to tell everyone who we are and what we want. If they want to know about Arabs, they have to read Arab [non-fiction] writers, he says.
Whether or not this happens remains to be seen, but increased dialogue is the first step, says Evans, the British Council director.
"I don't think any British publisher is going to take a week out of their schedule if they were not interested, she says.
"The critical thing is if this [trip] deepens their interest.
Another young Egyptian writer looking for exposure abroad is Ahmed Alaidy, whose recent novel Being Abbas el Abd is creating buzz and was translated into English by Humphrey Davies, who also translated The Yacoubian Building.
When asked if he writes with a western reader in mind, Alaidy says "When I write, I only want to listen to the voices in my head.
"It's like I'm my character's secretary - I just bring them coffee.


Clic here to read the story from its source.