Salwa Bakr (born 1949) is an

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

critic, novelist and author. Profile of the Egyptian Writer Salwa Bakr She was born in the Matariyya district in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

in 1949. Her father was a railway worker. She studied business at Ain Shams University, gaining a BA degree in 1972. She went on to earn another BA in literary criticism in 1976, before embarking on a career in journalism. She worked as a film and theatre critic for various Arabic newspapers and magazines. Bakr lived in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

for a few years with her husband before returning to Egypt in the mid-1980s. Bakr's father died early, leaving her mother a poor widow. Her work often deals with the lives of the impoverished and the marginalized. In his collection of short stories by Arab writers, the Serbian literary critic Srpko Leštarić wrote: "''Part of Salwa Bakr’s popularity lies in her being a counterforce to the conservative voices which challenge her work because they feel threatened by it."'' In particular, many of her stories deal with the problems of women of different social levels in Egyptian society, as exemplified in the stories told by women inmates of a prison in her ''novel The Golden Chariot''. In 1985, she published her first collection of short stories, ''Zinat at the President's Funeral'', which was an immediate success. She has published several collections of short stories and novels since. Her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

of 1993 was called ''Wasf al-Bulbul'' (''The Description of the Nightingale'').

Translations

Several of Bakr's books and stories have been translated into various European languages, including English, German, Spanish, French or

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

. Her work has appeared in ''

Banipal ''Banipal'' is an independent literary magazine dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Arab literature through translations in English. It was founded in London in 1998 by Margaret Obank and Samuel Shimon. The magazine is published three ti ...

'' magazine, ''

Words Without Borders ''Words Without Borders'' (''WWB'') is an international magazine open to international exchange through translation, publication, and promotion of the world's best writing and authors who are not easily accessible to English-speaking readers. The ...

'', and in a number of English-language anthologies. Single-volume English translations of her work include: * ''The Man from Bashmour'', American Univ in Cairo Press, 2007 - translated by Nancy Roberts * ''The Golden Chariot'', American Univ in Cairo Press, 2008 - translated by Dinah Manisty * ''The Wiles of Men and Other Stories, University of Texas Press, 1993'' - translated by Denys Johnson-Davies * ''Such a Beautiful Voice'', General Egyptian Book Organization, 1992 - translated by Hoda El Sadda

Awards and reception

''The Man from Bashmour'' was named as one of the 100 best Arabic novels by the Arabic Writers' Union. In 1993, she won the German Deutsche Welle Prize for Literature. Notwithstanding her relatively few novels or collections of short stories, she is highly regarded in Arab literary circles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakr, Salwa Writers from Cairo 1949 births Egyptian novelists Egyptian women short story writers Egyptian short story writers Egyptian critics Egyptian women writers Living people Ain Shams University alumni