Arab Women Writers

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Ahdaf Soueif

About seven years ago, an American colleague of my husband asked me if I knew of an Egyptian novelist by the name Ahdaf Soueif. Filled with confidence (why is it that the more ignorant one is, the more confident one feels?) I replied: "This does not sound like an Egyptian name, I think you made a mistake." Since Jan had read Ahdaf's books, she insisted that Ahdaf was Egyptian. A quick Google search exposed my ignorance. I would have loved to cover the ignorance, by saying that the problem was the khawaga pronunciation of the name, but Jan is fluent in Arabic.

I never expected this incident to be a turning point in my life, but it definitely was. I read In the Eye of the Sun and it deeply touched me. I never identified with a character in a novel as I did with Asya. I then read her two books of short stories, Aisha & Sandpiper, and her second novel The Map of Love. I loved each one of them and wanted more. So I read all her articles that were available on the internet, then I reread In the Eye of the Sun, yes each and every word on the 800+ pages. I later read Mezzaterra & her translation of Murid Barghouti's I saw Ramallah & still wanted more.

By that time, I became confident that I have found my favorite novelist, and in spite of Margret Atwood's quote mentioned in this blog, I wanted to meet or at least know more about the person behind the pages. I emailed her. I remember that the question I sent her was very stupid, so I was truly surprised when she replied and her reply was sweet, humble, and graceful.

Ahdaf, who is a renowned and celebrated novelist in the west, could have easily gained more money and fame had she not chosen to embrace a brave stance on two issues:

• She recognized that Arab women writers' text is liable to misuse, and more so her own text since she writes in English, so she avoided controversial issues or discussed them with a sensitivity and an honesty that avert any misuse or misinterpretation.
• She repeatedly reflected her political beliefs in her work without any consideration to the expected aggression and assault of the Zionist machine and its supporters in the west. This stance might have cost her the Booker prize, but her reply was to intensify her activist work. Although she might have preferred to concentrate more on writing novels, after the death of her friend Edward Said, she did not hesitate in carrying the banner of the Palestinian cause.
  

Dear Ahdaf,

Thank you for your work, and for giving me an Egyptian role model I respect and love.
Thank you for helping me become a better, and less apathetic person.
Thank you for introducing me to the wonderful world of Arab Women Writers.
Thank you for introducing me to the thought and work of the great Edward Said.
Thank you for bettering my sense of humor. My kids say that in the past couple of years, my jokes have gone from K.G. level to second grade, or even third grade level on some days.

your biggest fan,
nahoul

Check Ahdaf Soueif's site at: ahdafsoueif.com

Moorish Dreams

Staying on the same depressing subject of the previous post (Drowning Dreams), Laila Lalami, a Moroccan writer living in the US, has chosen illegal immigration as the subject of her first novel Hope and other dangerous pursuits.

The novel starts with a prologue detailing a desperate attempt by Moroccan men, women, and children, crowded in an inflatable boat, to cross the strait of Gibraltar and reach Spain in pursuit of happier lives. Most of those poor souls are lost at sea before setting foot on the hostile Spanish shore.

Laila then introduces us to the lives of four of those dreamers before and after the crossing attempt. The stories of Faten, Aziz, Mourad & Halima are realistic and the images Laila paints will stay with you long after you finish reading her book.

I have no doubt that similar stories are being told by the families of the 200 Egyptians lost at sea as they attempted to pursue similar dreams.

p.s. Laila Lalami (also known as Moorish Girl) has a blog at the following link: http://www.lailalalami.com/blog/

Alifa vs Nawal

Who will the years proof to be more influential in bettering the sorrow state of women in the Egyptian society? Alifa Rifaat or Nawal Saadawi?

These two writers promote revolt against the unjust treatment of girls and women in the Egyptian household and society, yet their styles cannot be more different.

While Alifa, as I explained in the previous post, follows a conservative approach, Nawal seams to prefer a more confrontational and shocking one. Ms. Rifaat, the single mother of three, seams to be applying her motherly experiences and tenderness to treat the society, while Dr. Saadawi, the physician, prefers a high-risk invasive surgical treatment.

Moreover, it is widely agreed that Ms Rifaat's lack of knowledge of any foreign languages eliminates any Western influence in the shaping of her ideas, and removes any possibility of her having the Western reader in mind when tackling the misfortunes of the Egyptian women.

As for Dr. Saadawi, she openly brags about being widely read and more appreciated in the West, which could imply that she does, even unconsciously, have this Western reader in mind when writing her novels or her non-fiction work.

Is one of the two approaches more effective? Is one of the two more proper? Do we need to support one approach and condemn the other, or are they both needed to achieve the change? What do you think?

Here are some related links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alifa_Rifaat
http://www.answers.com/topic/alifa-rifaat

http://www.nawalsaadawi.net/

Alifa Rifaat

Her first name (which means tame) and the title of her book (Distant View of a Minaret) did not prepare me for the rebellious Egyptian women I so much enjoyed meeting on the pages of Alifa Rifaat's book.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that an Egyptian woman who was not allowed to go to college, forced into an arranged marriage, and denied a literary career until the death of her husband, would not shy away from discussing issues as bold as women's emotional and sexual needs in a marriage.

While some themes in Ms Rifaat's writings are mirrored in the works of other Egyptian and Arab female writers, her uniqueness stems from the fact that her rebellion, no matter how fierce, stays within the boundaries of her Islamic faith. She does not blame Islam for the sad and unjust position so many Muslim women find themselves in, but instead blames the men for not following the true teachings of Islam, which demands that they treat women with respect and kindness. Her women use their instinct to understand and accept the indisputable teachings of Islam set by a Just and Merciful divinity, while the men focus on and prefer some twisted man-made interpretations that ensure their dominance and control of women.

While the writer gives her characters the full right to rebel against the reactionary husbands, she does not allow them to even consider adultery. How could they when the hours of their days are marked by nothing other than the calls for prayers? The azzan is the common sound track that is heard throughout the book. The azzan might even be the source of strength of these women. They long for it, anticipate it, and after hearing it, they are not only capable of facing men, they are also capable of looking death in the eye and deciding that it does not have to indicate the end, but that it could also be a beginning of a better life.

As I came to the end of each of the fifteen short stories, my only regret was that the story was not a few pages longer so I could spend more time with those courageous women.