Lannan Literary Awards
3 appearances
-
Edition 146 (2002, held 7 times in year) Fellowship
-
Edition 151 (2002, held 12 times in year) Fellowship
Ahdaf Soueif
アフダフ・スウエイフ
Ahdaf Soueif
Aliases:
أهداف سويف
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1950-03-23 （Cairo, Egypt）
- Nationality
- Egyptian
- Languages
- English, Arabic
- Residence History
- Cairo (residence) → England (studied / lived)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, political and cultural commentator, translator
- Active Years
- 1983-
- Affiliations
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Trustee of the British Museum (2012–2019, resigned), Founding Chair of the Palestine Festival of Literature
- Influenced By
- Edward Said, Contemporary Arab literature and Palestinian writers (e.g. Mourid Barghouti)
- Influenced
- Anglophone Arab writers
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Lancaster | — | Linguistics | PhD | 〜1979 | United Kingdom |
University of Lancaster
Linguistics
Degree:
PhD
Period:
〜1979
Year of Graduation:
1979
Country:
United Kingdom
PhD in linguistics
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Cairo International Book Fair: Best Collection of Short Stories | Sandpiper (short stories) | — | Cairo International Book Fair | 受賞 |
| 1999 | Booker Prize (shortlisted) | The Map of Love (novel) | — | Booker Prize | ノミネート |
| 2010 | Mahmoud Darwish Award (inaugural) | — | — | Mahmoud Darwish Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2011 | Cavafy Award | — | — | Cavafy Award organizers | 受賞 |
| 2002 | Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature | — | — | Royal Society of Literature | 選出 |
| 2011 | Named in The Guardian's Books Power 100 | — | — | The Guardian | 選出 |
Cairo International Book Fair: Best Collection of Short Stories
1996
Work:
Sandpiper (short stories)
Organization:
Cairo International Book Fair
Result:
受賞
Booker Prize (shortlisted)
1999
Work:
The Map of Love (novel)
Organization:
Booker Prize
Result:
ノミネート
Mahmoud Darwish Award (inaugural)
2010
Organization:
Mahmoud Darwish Foundation
Result:
受賞
Cavafy Award
2011
Organization:
Cavafy Award organizers
Result:
受賞
Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
2002
Organization:
Royal Society of Literature
Result:
選出
Named in The Guardian's Books Power 100
2011
Organization:
The Guardian
Result:
選出
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Aisha
1983 short storiesEarly collection of short stories addressing Egyptian society and women's perspectives.
womensocietybelonging
In the Eye of the Sun
1992 novelA coming-of-age novel set in Egypt and England recounting Asya's maturation and self-discovery.
personal growthcultural identitygender relations
Sandpiper
1996 short storiesA collection of short stories published in 1996; received recognition at the Cairo International Book Fair.
memorymovementindividual and politics
The Map of Love
1999 historical romance / political novelInterweaves late-19th-century Egypt and the present to explore culture, politics, and personal lives. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize (1999) and translated into over 20 languages.
imperialismlovehistory and memory
Translations
- Translated into 21+ languages
Mezzaterra: Fragments from the Common Ground
2004 essay collectionA collection of essays reflecting on Egypt, Palestine, and Anglo-American culture and politics.
political commentarycultural criticismPalestinian issues
Cairo: My City, Our Revolution
2012 non-fiction (memoir / reportage)A personal account and reportage of the first year of the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
revolutioncity and societycivil movements
Bibliography
- Aisha (1983)
- In the Eye of the Sun (1992)
- Sandpiper (1996)
- The Map of Love (1999)
- I Saw Ramallah (translation by Ahdaf Soueif, 2003)
- Mezzaterra: Fragments from the Common Ground (2004)
- I Think of You (2007)
- Reflections on Islamic Art (2011)
- Cairo: My City, Our Revolution (2012)
- This Is Not a Border (2017, co-authored)
Translations by Author
- Translation of Mourid Barghouti's I Saw Ramallah into English (2003)
Translations of Works
- The Map of Love: translated into 21+ languages
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Written primarily in English but with an audible Arabic sensibilityInterweaving historical narrative and personal perspectiveDetailed descriptive and intellectually engaged prose
- Recurring Motifs
- identity and belongingimperialism and its legaciespersonal history and collective memoryPalestinian issues
Legacy
Ahdaf Soueif is internationally recognized as an Anglophone Arab writer who has contributed to political and cultural discussions about Egypt and Palestine. Through the international success of The Map of Love and founding the Palestine Festival of Literature, she is known for bridging literature and politics.
Academic Societies
- Royal Society of Literature
Quotes
-
"I feel more comfortable with art than with life."
Source: Novel: In the Eye of the Sun (1992)
Trivia
- The Map of Love was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1999.
- Founding Chair of the Palestine Festival of Literature (PalFest).
- Translated Mourid Barghouti's I Saw Ramallah into English.
- Served as a trustee of the British Museum and resigned in 2019.