Ibrahim Abdel Meguid
Ibrahim Abdel Meguid | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 2, 1946 Alexandria, Egypt |
| Occupation(s) | Novelist, writer |
| Known for | Alexandria Trilogy (No One Sleeps in Alexandria, Birds of Amber, Clouds Over Alexandria) |
Ibrahim Abdel Meguid (; born 2 December 1946) is a distinguished Egyptian novelist and writer. He is most renowned for the "Alexandria Trilogy," which includes No One Sleeps in Alexandria, Birds of Amber, and Clouds Over Alexandria. These novels have been made accessible to readers through translations into English and French. Additionally, several of his literary works have been transformed into cinematic adaptations.
Early life and education
Abdel Meguid was born in Alexandria and pursued philosophical studies at Alexandria University, where he completed his bachelor's degree in 1973. Two years later, in 1975, he relocated to Cairo.
Literary Themes
Abdel Meguid's The Other Place is frequently likened by critics to T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land due to its profound thematic exploration.
His 2005 novel, Birds of Amber, reflects Alexandria’s diverse cultural fabric with a sense of longing and advocates for an Arab cultural identity that transcends Western colonial legacies.
In the 1996 work No One Sleeps in Alexandria, he delves into the hardships experienced during wartime while examining the psychological impact of Egypt’s path toward modernization.
Works
- المسافات [Al-Masafât] (1983). Translated as Distant Train by Hosam M. Aboul-Ela (2007)
- بيت الياسمين [Bayt al-yasâmin] (1987). Rendered in English as The House of Jasmine, translated by Noha Radwan (2012)
- البلدة الأخرى [Al Balda al-ukhrâ] (1991). Known as The Other Place, translated by Farouk Abdel Wahab (1997)
- لا أحد ينام في الإسكندرية [La Ahad yanam fil Iskandariya] (1996). English version titled No One Sleeps in Alexandria, translated by Farouk Abdel Wahab (2004)
- طيور العنبر [Toyour al-anbar] (2000). Translated as Birds of Amber by Farouk Abdel Wahab (2005)
- عتبة المتعة [Eatabat almutea] (2007). Titled The Threshold of Pleasure
- في كل أسبوع يوم جمعة [Fi koulli ousbou yawmou joumoua] (2009). Published as Every Week Has a Friday
- أيام التحرير ['Ayaam altahrir] (2011). Known as Days of Tahrir
- الإسكندرية في غيمة [Iskandriya fi ghayma] (2012). Translated to English as Clouds Over Alexandria, by Kay Heikkinen (2019)
- القاهرة هنا [alqahirat huna] (2014). Entitled Cairo is Here
Awards and honors
- Recipient of the inaugural Naguib Mahfouz Medal in 1996 for The Other Place
- Awarded novel of the year at the 1996 Cairo International Book Fair for No One Sleeps in Alexandria
- Honored with the Egyptian State Prize for Excellence in Literature by the Supreme Council of Culture in 2004
- Winner of the 2011 Sawiris Cultural Award for his work Every Week Has a Friday
- Co-recipient of the first Katara Prize for Arabic Novel in 2015 for Adagio
- Awarded the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2016 for Beyond Writing