Khaled Al Khamissi (born September 27, 1962) is an Egyptian novelist, columnist and cultural activist.
Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (2021).
Member of the Parliament for Writers from the Mediterranean (PEM).
Biography
Al Khamissi was born to Egyptian actress Faten El Choubachi and poet Abdel Rahman Al Khamissi (
Lenin Peace Prize
The International Lenin Peace Prize (russian: международная Ленинская премия мира, ''mezhdunarodnaya Leninskaya premiya mira)'' was a Soviet Union award named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. It was awarded by a pane ...
1979). Upon his mother's death when he was five, Al Khamissi was raised by his maternal grandfather Moufid El Choubachi, also a poet, writer and critic. He grew up in a book-lined home, where politics, literature and art were constantly discussed.
He obtained his bachelor's degree in political science from
Cairo University
Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...
in 1984 and his masters in International Politics from the
Sorbonne University
Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sor ...
in 1987.
His three fiction works, Taxi, Noah’s Ark and Al Shamandar (translated in French as Moi, étoile filante) have provided Arabic and non-Arabic readers with insight into Egyptian society in the last decade. His first non fiction book ''2011'' was published in 2014. As a columnist, his articles in Egypt and abroad show a blend of his background as a political analyst and fiction writer.
He has been a jury member in a number of film festivals, and Chairman of the board of the Greater Cairo public Library since 2014. He regularly delivers lectures in international universities and book fairs on literature and film.
A believer that cultural progress is the necessary precursor to social change, following the Egyptian revolution of 2011, Al Khamissi set up Doum, a cultural foundation designed to promote critical thinking.
He is founder and president of story telling festival in
Qena
Qena ( ar, قنا ' , locally: ; cop, ⲕⲱⲛⲏ ''Konē'') is a city in Upper Egypt, and the capital of the Qena Governorate. Situated on the east bank of the Nile, it was known in antiquity as Kaine (Greek Καινή, meaning "new (city)"; ...
and founder and president of literary festival in
Mansoura
Mansoura (' , rural: ) is a city in Egypt, with a population of 960,423. It is the capital of the Dakahlia Governorate.
Etymology
''Mansoura'' in Arabic means "victorious". The city is named after the El Mansoura Battle against Louis IX of Fr ...
.
His novels have been translated into 20 languages including: English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Turkish, Korean, Polish, Greek, Kurdish and others.
In 2021 the French government named Al Khamissi Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Books
*
Taxi
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choic ...
(2007)
* Noah's Ark (2009)
* 2011 (2014)
* Al Shamandar (2018) - published in French as Moi, étoile filante (2021).
References
External links
Global Observatory Interview with Khaled Al-Khamissi, November 2011*http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/books/egyptian-author-gives-fuel-for-thought
*http://www.hindustantimes.com/kolkata/there-won-t-be-another-tahrir-sq-revolution-in-the-near-future-khaled-al-khamissi/story-EfCZzINcLt828WULfx1RdO.html
*https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/01/taxi-khaled-alkhamissi-review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khamissi, Khaled
1962 births
Living people
Egyptian writers