Egyptian writers
Noor Naga: where to start
Noor Naga is an Egyptian-Canadian writer whose novel If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English is one of the most striking new books about Egypt. Here is who she is, which of her books to read first, and where to go next.
Who is Noor Naga?
Naga is an Egyptian-Canadian poet and novelist who writes in English.
Her verse novel Washes, Prays appeared in 2020. Her novel If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English (2022), set in Cairo after the 2011 revolution, won the Graywolf Press Africa Prize and drew wide acclaim.
Where to start
2022
If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English
An American-born Egyptian woman and a young man from a village in rural Egypt fall for each other after the revolution, and their love turns dangerous.
2020
Washes, Prays
A verse novel about faith, love and a young woman in Toronto.
Why read Noor Naga today
Naga writes about belonging, class and power between Egypt and the diaspora, in a voice that is bold and unsettling.
Another Egyptian voice
Noor Naga and A.M. Khalifa are both Egyptians writing in English about the space between Egypt and the West: Naga in literary fiction, Khalifa in espionage thrillers.
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 · Mansoura Ez-Eldin · Waguih Ghali · Yasmine El Rashidi · Omar Robert Hamilton · Nabil Farouk · A.M. Khalifa
Questions
What is If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English about?
An American-born Egyptian woman and a young man from rural Egypt, whose relationship in post-revolution Cairo turns dark.
Is Noor Naga Egyptian?
She is Egyptian-Canadian and writes in English.
Which other Egyptian writers write in English?
Ahdaf Soueif, Omar El Akkad, Yasmine El Rashidi, Omar Robert Hamilton and A.M. Khalifa.