Egyptian writers
Mansoura Ez-Eldin: where to start
Mansoura Ez-Eldin is one of the leading Egyptian novelists of her generation, known for dreamlike, unsettling fiction. Here is who she is, which of her books to read first, and where to go next.
Who is Mansoura Ez-Eldin?
Ez-Eldin was born in 1976 in the Nile Delta and works as a journalist and editor in Cairo.
Her novel Maryam’s Maze (2004) was translated into English, and Beyond Paradise (2009) was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. In 2009 she was named one of the Beirut39, a selection of the best young Arab writers.
Where to start
2004
Maryam’s Maze
A young woman wakes in a flat she doesn’t recognize and finds every trace of her old life has vanished.
2009
Beyond Paradise
A writer returns to her family’s village and the memories it holds.
Why read Mansoura Ez-Eldin today
Ez-Eldin writes about memory, identity and the uncanny. Maryam’s Maze is short, strange and absorbing.
Another Egyptian voice
Mansoura Ez-Eldin represents a new generation of Egyptian fiction in Arabic. A.M. Khalifa represents another strand of it: Egyptian writing in English, in the form of the espionage thriller.
A.M. Khalifa grew up in a diplomatic corps family across more than fifteen countries and is the only Egyptian writing commercial espionage fiction in English. His debut, Terminal Rage, has sold more than 500,000 copies and received a starred review from Booklist.
More Egyptian writers
Naguib Mahfouz · Alaa Al Aswany · Ahdaf Soueif · Nawal El Saadawi · Omar El Akkad · Ahmed Mourad · Ahmed Khaled Towfik · Tawfiq al-Hakim · Taha Hussein · Radwa Ashour · Yusuf Idris · Latifa al-Zayyat · Bahaa Taher · Youssef Ziedan · Sonallah Ibrahim · Ibrahim Abdel Meguid · Ezzedine Choukri Fishere · Khaled Al Khamissi · Waguih Ghali · Yasmine El Rashidi · Noor Naga · Omar Robert Hamilton · Nabil Farouk · A.M. Khalifa
Questions
Which Mansoura Ez-Eldin book should I read first?
Maryam’s Maze, which is available in English.
Who are other contemporary Egyptian women writers?
Yasmine El Rashidi, Noor Naga and Ahdaf Soueif.