Hamdi Abu Golayyel (Arabic: حمدي أبوجليل) is an Egyptian writer.

Early life

He was born in 1967/68 in a

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...

village in the

Fayoum Faiyum ( ar, الفيوم ' , borrowed from cop, ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ or Ⲫⲓⲱⲙ ' from egy, pꜣ ym "the Sea, Lake") is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum ...

region. His ancestors arrived from

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

in the early 19th century to settle in Fayoum. Abu Golayyel migrated to

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

in the early 1980s, and worked as a construction labourer on building sites. These experiences later provided material for his literary endeavours.

Career

His first book was a collection of short stories published in 1997 under the title ''Swarm of Bees''. His second collection, released in 2000, won several literary awards. He received further acclaim with his novel ''Thieves in Retirement'', originally published by Merit Publishing House in

, and later by

Syracuse University Press Syracuse University Press, founded in 1943, is a university press that is part of Syracuse University. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. History SUP was formed in August 1943 when president William P. Tolley prom ...

in an English translation by

Marilyn Booth Marilyn Louise Booth (born 24 February 1955) is an author, scholar and translator of Arabic literature. Since 2015, she has been the Khalid bin Abdullah Al Saud Professor for the Study of the Contemporary Arab World at the University of Oxford and ...

. His next novel ''A Dog with No Tail'' won the

Naguib Mahfouz Medal The Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature is a literary award for Arabic literature.Robin Moger Robin Moger is a British translator of Arabic literature. His translations include: * Ahmed Mourad - ''Vertigo'' * Hamdi Abu Golayel - ''A Dog With No Tail'' * Maan Abu Taleb - ''All The Battles'' * Mohammad Rabie - ''Otared'' * Nael Eltouk ...

has been released by the

AUC Press The American University in Cairo Press (AUCP, AUC Press) is the leading English-language publisher in the Middle East. The largest translator of Arabic literature in the world, AUC Press has a reputation for carefully selecting and translating t ...

. He is regarded as one of the most important new voices in Egyptian fiction. Abu Golayyel works in folklore research under the aegis of the Egyptian ministry of culture. He also contributes regularly to an Emirati newspaper. He is married with children and lives in Cairo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Golayyel, Hamdi Egyptian literary awards Recipients of the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature Egyptian novelists Egyptian male short story writers Egyptian short story writers Living people People from Faiyum Governorate Year of birth missing (living people)