Egyptian writers use history to highlight the present
Inspired by history and its relation to the present, novels by Rasha Adly and Ahmad Abdulatif landed them nominations for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction, known as the "Arab Booker," is seen as the ultimate literary honor for Arab novelists. The award aims to encourage the writing of contemporary literature in Arabic and to have Arabic fiction translated and published in other languages. The work of the winners often gets translated into English and foreign languages.
This year, two Egyptian writers — Rasha Adly and Ahmad Abdulatif — were included among the 10 names that had been selected from 124 applications from 14 countries in the Arabic-speaking world. Even though they did not make the shortlist that was announced Feb. 21, the Egyptian literary press has been writing about them since.
The two authors have entered the literary scene from other disciplines: Abdulatif is a translator and Adly is an art historian. They both look at historical events to draw parallels with the present.
Al-Monitor met with the two authors to discuss their literary paths and nomination.
