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Literature 2021

Iman Mersal

Egypt

Egyptian poet, writer, academic and translator. She works as an Associate professor of Arabic literature and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Alberta, Canada and currently resides in Marseille, France, where she holds the Albert Camus chair at IMéRA, the Institute for Advanced Study of Aix-Marseille University until July 2021, while working on a book entitled Al Laknah: Al Sawt fee Ghair Makaneh (Accent: the Displaced Voice). An anthology of her works was translated into more than twenty languages and she has five poetry collections published. Her most recent published works include Hatta Atakhlla Aan Fekrat Al Boyot (Until I Abandon the Idea of Homes) in 2013, Kayfa Taltaem: Aan Al Omoma wa Askhbahuha (How to Amend: On Motherhood and its Ghosts) in 2017, and Fee Athar Enayat Al Zayyat (In the Footsteps of Enayat Al-Zayyat) in 2019. Her book, Mamar Moetem Yasloh fee Talom Al Raks (A Dark Path Suitable for Learning to Dance), is one of the most important poetry books issued by the generation of the nineties in Arabic poetry.

About The Book

In this book, the author embarks on a journey that traces the life of late Egyptian writer Enayat al Zayat, who died tragically in the 1960s. A multi-genre work, the book uses storytelling, research, investigative journalism and other techniques to tell the story of the late author, while combining biographical and autobiographical insights to provide readers with a balanced critical look at Al Zayat’s life and writing. The book transcends traditional genderial constraints to tell a story through creativity, written record and history. This is a renewed visit to a feminist experience re-introduced with great integrity and within a coherent narrative. 

Published: 2020

Interview with

Iman Mersal

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