Adel Esmat (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: عادل عصمت) is an Egyptian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

who was born in 1959. He published a collection of short stories named ''Fragments'' and nine novels including ''Days of the Blue Windows'', published in 2009, which was awarded the State Prize for Incentive for Novels in 2011. Whereas, his novel ''Tales of Yusuf Tadrus'', which was published in 2015, won the

Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature The Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature is a literary award for Arabic literature.American University of Cairo The American University in Cairo (AUC; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة, Al-Jāmi‘a al-’Amrīkiyya bi-l-Qāhira) is a private research university in Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs ...

published an English translation of the novel.

Education and career

Adel Esmat is a novelist who was born in

Gharbia Governorate Gharbia Governorate ( ar, محافظة الغربية ', ) is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is located in the north of the country, south of Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, and north of Monufia Governorate. Its capital is Tanta, which is 90&n ...

, Egypt in 1959. He obtained his bachelor's degree in Philosophy from the University of Ain Shams in 1984. Then, he had a second degree in Library Science from the

University of Tanta Tanta University is an Egyptian university in the city of Tanta, Al Gharbiyah governorate, Egypt. The university is under the direct scientific supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education. It was founded first in 1962 as a branch from the ...

in 1986. Now, he works as a library specialist in the

Egyptian Ministry of Education The Ministry of Education is a ministry responsible for education in Egypt. Ministers * Hilmi Murad 1968–1969 * El Helali el Sherbini from September 2015 * Tarek Shawki from February 2017 * Reda Hegazy From August 2022 See also * Cabinet ...

. Esmat published his first novel ''Obsession of Death'' in 1995; and now he has published nine novels including ''Stable Life'', ''The Naked Man'', ''People and Places'', and ''The Crow's Sound''. In 2011, Esmat received the 2016

for his novel ''Tales of Yusuf Tadrus'', which was translated into English. While his novel ''The Commandments'' was shortlisted for the

International Prize for Arabic Fiction The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) ( ar, الجائزة العالمية للرواية العربية) is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world. Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic ...

in 2019, and his novel ''The Days of the Blue Windows'' was awarded the 2011 State Prize for Incentive for the Novel. In 2015, he published his first collection of short stories entitled ''Fragments''.

Works

Novels

* ''Obsession of Death'' (Original title: Hages Al Mawt), 1995 * ''The Naked Man'' (Original title: Rajulun A’ari), 1998 * ''Stable Life'' (Original title: Hayat Mustaqera), 2004 * ''Days of the Blue Windows'' (Original title: Ayam Al-nawafath Al-zarqaa), 2009 * ''People and Places'' (Original title: Nass w Amaken), 2010 * ''The Tales of Yusuf Tadrus'' (Original title: Hikayat Yusuf Tadrus), 2015 * ''Reem’s Conditions'' (Original title: Halatu Reem), 2017 * ''The Crow’s Sound'' (Original title: Sawt Al Ghurab), 2017 * ''The Commandments'' (Original title: Al Wasaya), 2018

Short stories

* ''Fragments'' (Original title: Qasasat), 2015

Awards and honors

* 2011: Won the State Encouragement Award for his novel ''The Days of the Blue Window'' * 2016: Won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for his novel ''Tales of Yusuf Tadrus'' and was translated into English * 2019: His novel ''The Commandments'' won the Sawiris Award and was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.

References

Living people Egyptian novelists Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Egyptian writers 1959 births {{Egypt-writer-stub