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Ibrahim Abdel Meguid

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Ibrahim Abdel Meguid

Aliases: Ibrahim Abdelmeguid / Ibrāhīm ʻAbd al-Majīd

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1946-12-02 （Alexandria, Egypt）
Nationality
Egyptian
Languages
Arabic
Residence History
Alexandria, Egypt (birth–1975) → Cairo, Egypt (from 1975)

Career

Occupations
novelist, author
Active Years
1973-
Memberships
Egyptian Writers' Union (presumed)
Influenced By
T. S. Eliot, Naguib Mahfouz
Influenced
Rasha Adly, Radwa El Aswad

Education

Alexandria University
Department of Philosophy
Degree: BA
Period: 〜1973
Year of Graduation: 1973
Country: Egypt
Studied philosophy and obtained a BA

Awards

Naguib Mahfouz Medal
1996
Work: The Other Place
Organization: The American University in Cairo Press
Result: winner
Cairo International Book Fair - Novel of the Year
1996
Work: No One Sleeps in Alexandria
Organization: Cairo International Book Fair
Result: winner
Egyptian State Prize for Excellence in Literature
2004
Organization: Supreme Council of Culture
Result: winner
Sawiris Cultural Award
2011
Work: Every Week Has a Friday
Organization: Sawiris Foundation
Result: winner
Katara Prize for Arabic Novel
2015
Work: Adagio (co-winner)
Organization: Katara Cultural Village Foundation
Result: co-winner
Sheikh Zayed Book Award
2016
Work: Beyond Writing
Organization: Sheikh Zayed Book Award Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Al-Masafât (Distant Train)

1983 novel

An early novel dealing with memory and movement.

memorymovementidentity
Translations
  • Translated into English (2007) by Hosam M. Aboul-Ela

Bayt al-yasâmin (The House of Jasmine)

1987 novel

A mid-career novel depicting family and urban change.

familycitychange
Translations
  • Translated into English by Noha Radwan (2012)

Al Balda al-ukhrâ (The Other Place)

1991 novel

A work with experimental elements focused on fragments of the city and memory; critics have compared it to T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land.

citymemoryfragmentation
Translations
  • Translated into English by Farouk Abdel Wahab (1997)

La Ahad yanam fil Iskandariya (No One Sleeps in Alexandria)

1996 historical/urban novel

Set in Alexandria during World War II, it portrays residents' struggles and reimagines Egypt through the trauma of modernization.

impact of warmodernizationnostalgia
Adaptations
  • [film] No One Sleeps in Alexandria
Translations
  • Translated into English by Farouk Abdel Wahab (2004)
  • Translated into French

Toyour al-anbar (Birds of Amber)

2000 novel

Evokes Alexandria's cosmopolitanism with nostalgia and raises questions about colonialism and cultural inclusiveness.

cosmopolitanismcolonialismcultural inclusiveness
Translations
  • Translated into English by Farouk Abdel Wahab (2005)

Eatabat almutea (The Threshold of Pleasure)

2007 novel

One of his later works dealing with desire, pleasure, and social constraints.

desiresocial norms

Fi koulli ousbou yawmou joumoua (Every Week Has a Friday)

2009 novel

A work with interlinked stories where personal experiences intersect with political events.

politicseveryday lifememory

Ayaam altahrir (Days of Tahrir)

2011 non-fiction/essays

Record and commentary on the period around the Egyptian revolution and events at Tahrir Square.

revolutionpublic spacepolitical record

Iskandriya fi ghayma (Clouds Over Alexandria)

2012 novel

Considered part of the Alexandria trilogy; depicts the city's memories and people's stories.

urban memorynostalgiachange over time
Translations
  • Translated into English by Kay Heikkinen (2019)

alqahirat huna (Cairo is Here)

2014 novel

A novel set in Cairo with urban novel elements.

cityCairosocial observation

Bibliography

  • Al-Masafât (Distant Train) — 1983
  • Bayt al-yasâmin (The House of Jasmine) — 1987
  • Al Balda al-ukhrâ (The Other Place) — 1991
  • La Ahad yanam fil Iskandariya (No One Sleeps in Alexandria) — 1996
  • Toyour al-anbar (Birds of Amber) — 2000
  • Eatabat almutea (The Threshold of Pleasure) — 2007
  • Fi koulli ousbou yawmou joumoua (Every Week Has a Friday) — 2009
  • Ayaam altahrir (Days of Tahrir) — 2011
  • Iskandriya fi ghayma (Clouds Over Alexandria) — 2012
  • alqahirat huna (Cairo is Here) — 2014

Adaptations

  • Several works have been adapted for film and other media (details vary)

Translations of Works

  • No One Sleeps in Alexandria — English translation by Farouk Abdel Wahab
  • Birds of Amber — English translation by Farouk Abdel Wahab
  • The Other Place — English translation by Farouk Abdel Wahab
  • Also translated into French and other languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
nostalgic and lyrical proselayered portrayals of urban memoryfragmentary and sometimes poetic narration
Recurring Motifs
Alexandria / the citymemory and nostalgiatrauma of modernizationcultural cosmopolitanism

Legacy

An important contemporary Egyptian writer known for works centered on Alexandria and its memory. The 'Alexandria trilogy' has been translated internationally and his writing has influenced the translation and adaptation of Arabic literature.

Academic Societies

  • Egyptian Writers' Union (presumed)

Archives

  • Materials held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (presumed)

In Popular Culture

  • Some works have been adapted for film and stage and are referenced in Egyptian cinema and theater.

Trivia

  • Inaugural winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Medal in 1996.
  • Internationally known for the 'Alexandria trilogy'.
  • Works translated into English, French and other languages.
  • Moved to Cairo in 1975.