Abdel Rahman al-Sharqawi (1920–1987) was born into a peasant family in the
Egyptian province of Menoufia. His first works were published while he was a
student at the law school of the University of Cairo, and he became widely
known after the publication of his novel Egyptian Earth in 1953. The
author of four novels as well as numerous short stories, poetry collections and
plays, his work is highly regarded for its realism and commitment to social
issues of the day. Al-Sharqawi also took part in the antimonarchy struggle and founded
the progressive journal Al-Katib, which advocated peaceful cooperation
among peoples. In 1974, al-Sharqawi received the State Appreciation Award in
Literature by the Egyptian government.
Desmond Stirling Stewart was a
British writer and journalist who worked for many years in Baghdad, Beirut, and
Cairo. He wrote a number of books about Egyptian and Arabic culture and history,
as well as several novels.
