Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

CIBF: Ibrahim Abdel Meguid Talks about Writing, Pandemic Literature


Tue 13 Jul 2021 | 10:21 PM
Rana Atef

On Wednesday, iconic novelist and author Ibrahim Abdel Meguid appeared on the official platform of the 52nd Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF).

Abdel Meguid celebrated this year by releasing a new trilogy called "El Horob Min Al Zakera." It is not the first time that the iconic author dropped a trilogy as he is well famed for his Alexandria trilogy.

Abdel Meguid touched several topics related to writing, CIBF memories, and his previous books. He initiated his talk by recalling various unforgettable memories related to his participation at the event.

The author said: "I visited the CIBF for the first time in the late sixties. I traveled from Alexandria to Cairo, and I had only EGP 7 in my pocket, however, I bought 50 books! The prices of the books started from only five piasters."

Next, he talked about the main influences of his early writings such as "Masafat," "Bait El Yasmin," "El Hob Wi El Dam," and "Sayaad El Yamam."

The writer expressed that there is an important link between those writings which is his experimental spirit. He experimented with adding rebellious and unprecedented techniques such as magical realism and fantasia, bold reflection for the human psyche, feeling, and emotions.

The author reflected that he depended on his studies for philosophy and anthropology during writing his early stories.

After that, he talked about his iconic Alexandria Trilogy and the stories of places as the trilogy represented Alexandria in three different temporal periods.

The first part of this trilogy, "La Ahad Yanam Fi Al Askandareya," is the most recognized part internationally, and it was adapted to TV series. So, Abdel Maguid commented that he believes that there is a difference between the literary work and adaptations as each one of them is a text on its own.

He also talked about COVID-19 times. He revealed that he experienced isolation during Coronavirus first wave, and he enriched this time with writing, especially his newly released trilogy, "El Horob Men Al Zakera." He added that these pieces concentrated more on his times in Cairo.

Regarding COVID-19 Literature, he concluded that it is still early to talk about pandemic writings influenced by the new virus. He asserted: "Writing is based on experiences, and there is a lot to know about this virus and this period."