On Edwar al-Kharrat Day: His Memories, His Library
Edwar al-Kharrat (1926-2015) was an Egyptian novelist, writer, and critic, and great lover of books. He would have been 95 today. In his honor, we revisit this special section.
Mohamed Shoair
Edwar al-Kharrat’s Library: A Hall of Magic and Wonders
“You could not ask al-Kharrat about an Egyptian writer, dead or alive, without him going to a small room – perhaps the balcony that he closed to carve out more space for his library one day – and take out some of his or her works with care and sensitivity, or works that even its author may have completely forgotten.”
From ‘Children of the Alley: The Story of the Forbidden Novel’
Gamal al-Ghitani reported that, when he finally woke from the lengthy surgery, he turned to the people around him and said, “You’re meant to be afraid, you’re meant to shut up.”