Ahmed Khaled Tawfik and ‘Paranormal’

Today, Netflix is releasing the series Paranormal, based on the ما وراء الطبيعة books by beloved Egyptian novelist Ahmed Khaled Tawfik. We look back at the man  (1962-2018) and the impact his books had on young readers:

+Ahmed Al-Mahdi: ‘Paranormal Will Always Have a Special Place in My Heart’ 

+Mohammed Said Hjiouij: Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, ‘Genius’ 

+Emad El-Din Aysha: Birthing the Ugly Hero: Dr. Refaat Ismail

For more about writer-director Amr Salama’s journey in bringing this series to the screen, read Amro Ali’s “Paranormal Activity: Inside Netflix’s First Egyptian Arabic Original.” In it, Ali writes:

On a TV programme in 2014, viewers were invited to call in and ask questions of that episode’s guest, Ahmed Khaled Tawfik. One of the callers was Salama, who delivered a touching message to his friend. “I want you to know that as long as I live, I promise I will fight until Paranormal comes to light in the best shape and best quality to be competitive on the global stage,” he said. Later conversations between the pair would see Tawfik explain his regret that he may never see the day Salama’s promise came true.

Also read:

In Memoriam: Ahmed Khalid Tawfik, the Man and the Mission

And:

Many of Tawfik’s novels and novellas are available (in Arabic) as e-books online