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Bahaa Taher

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Bahaa Taher

Aliases: Bahaa Tahir / Baha Taher / Baha Tahir

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1935-01-13 （Giza, Kingdom of Egypt）
Died
2022-10-27 （Cairo, Egypt） age 87
Nationality
Egyptian
Languages
Arabic
Residence History
Giza (birthplace) → Switzerland (lived and worked as a translator) → Cairo (returned residence)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Short story writer, Translator
Active Years
1956-2022
Influenced By
Gamal Abdel Nasser (Nasserism), Avant-garde literary movement

Education

Cairo University
Faculty of Arts / Department of History
Degree: 学士
Period: 1952–1956
Year of Graduation: 1956
Country: Egypt
Bachelor's degree in History
Cairo University
Postgraduate media studies / Media Studies
Degree: ポストグラデュエート・ディプロマ
Period: 1973
Year of Graduation: 1973
Country: Egypt
Postgraduate diploma in media

Awards

State Award of Merit in Literature
1998
Organization: Egyptian state
Result: winner
Giuseppe Acerbi Prize
2000
Work: Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery
Organization: Italy (Giuseppe Acerbi Prize committee)
Result: winner
International Prize for Arabic Fiction
2008
Work: Sunset Oasis
Organization: International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) organization
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

East of the Palms

1985 Novel (serialized)

An early novel published in serialized form; portrays Egyptian society and its people.

nostalgiasocial depiction

Qalat Duha (As Doha Said)

1985 Novel

Published in 1985; explores human relationships through personal memory and narration.

memorynarration
Translations
  • English translation by Peter Daniel (American University in Cairo Press, 2008)

Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery

1991 Novel (social novel)

Set in Upper Egypt; concerns a blood feud and sanctuary in a Coptic monastery where a young Muslim man seeks refuge, exploring tensions and reconciliation.

interfaith relationsrevenge and reconciliationlocality
Translations
  • English translation by Barbara Romaine (1996)
  • Italian translation (winner of Giuseppe Acerbi Prize)
  • Georgian translation by Zviad Tskhvetiani

Love in Exile

1995 Novel (political/historical)

Set against the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon; deals with exile, trauma, and the interplay of personal love and political violence.

exiletraumapolitical violence
Translations
  • English translation by Farouk Abdel Wahab (American University in Cairo Press, 2001)

The Point of Light

2001 Novel

Published in 2001; a mid-length work weaving social and personal themes.

hopeintrospection

Sunset Oasis

2007 Historical novel

Set in 19th-century Egypt at the start of British occupation; follows a nationalist Egyptian police officer experiencing an existential crisis amid societal change.

colonialismnationalismexistential crisis
Translations
  • English translation by Humphrey Davies (Sceptre, UK, 2009)
  • Norwegian translation by Unn Gyda Næss (Vigmostad og Bjørke)

Bibliography

  • East of the Palms (1985)
  • Qalat Duha (As Doha Said) (1985)
  • Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery (1991)
  • Love in Exile (1995)
  • The Point of Light (2001)
  • Sunset Oasis (2007)

Translations of Works

  • Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery — English translation by Barbara Romaine (1996)
  • Love in Exile — English translation by Farouk Abdel Wahab (2001)
  • Qalat Duha (As Doha Said) — English translation by Peter Daniel (2008)
  • Sunset Oasis — English translation by Humphrey Davies (2009); Norwegian translation by Unn Gyda Næss

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyric, descriptive realist styleIncorporation of modernist and avant-garde elements in narration
Recurring Motifs
homeland and memoryinter-communal/religious tensionsindividual existential crisis

Legacy

Bahaa Taher was a significant figure in contemporary Arabic literature, noted for blending regional concerns with national and historical themes. He was the inaugural winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2008, gaining international recognition.

Academic Societies

  • Egyptian Writers Union

Quotes

  • Western readers want to see exoticism, gender discrimination and problems between minorities in Arab writers' works, but I refuse to comply with these stereotypes.
    Source: Interview (excerpt) (2008)

Trivia

  • Banned from writing in 1975 and subsequently left Egypt, traveling across Africa and Asia seeking translation work.
  • Worked in Switzerland in the 1980s and 1990s as a translator for the United Nations.
  • First winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2008.