Sneha Girap (Editor)

Gamal El Ghitani

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Nationality
  
Egyptian

Name
  
Gamal El-Ghitani

Role
  
Author


Gamal El-Ghitani Egyptian writer Gamal alGhitani dies aged 70 BBC News

Born
  
9 May 1945 Gihena, Egypt (
1945-05-09
)

Occupation
  
Journalist, author, novelist

Died
  
October 18, 2015, Cairo, Egypt

Books
  
Zayni Barakat, The Book of Epiphanies, A Distress Call: Short Stories, Incidents in Zaʼfarani Alley

Gamal el ghitani a simple tribute


Gamal el-Ghitani, (Arabic: جمال الغيطانى‎‎, [ɡæˈmæːl el ɣeˈtˤɑːni]; 9 May 1945 – 18 October 2015) was an Egyptian author of historical and political novels and cultural and political commentaries and was the editor-in-chief of the literary periodical Akhbar Al-Adab ("Cultural News") till 2011.

Contents

Gamal El-Ghitani Acclaimed Novelist Gamal alGhitani in Critical Condition

Life and works

Gamal El-Ghitani Renowned Egyptian novelist Gamal ElGhitani dies at 70

Gamal El-Ghitani was born in Guhayna, Sohag Governorate in Upper Egypt and moved with his family to Cairo as a child. He began writing at a young age and had his first short story published when he was only 14. He was originally trained to be a carpet designer and received his diploma in 1962. He continued to write on the side and was imprisoned from October 1966 through March 1967 for his critical commentary on the regime of Gamal Abd el-Nasser. In 1969 he switched careers and became a journalist for the Egyptian newspaper Akhbar El Yom ("The Day's News").

Gamal El-Ghitani VIDEO QampA with Egyptian novelist Gamal ElGhitani Books

After becoming a journalist, el-Ghitani continued to write historical fiction, and many of his stories are set in Cairo. He also wrote about many cultural and political topics, notably the level of censorship in modern-day Egypt. In an effort to help promote the Arab literary culture, he helped found the literary magazine "Gallery 68".

Gamal El-Ghitani Gamal elGhitani Egyptian author who wrote caustic

In 1980, he was awarded with the Egyptian National Prize for Literature, and in 1987, the French Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 1985, he became editor-in-chief of Al Akhbar ("The News") and continued to be a contributing editor to Akhbar El-Yom's literary section. From 1993 to 2011, he was the editor-in-chief of Akhbar Al-Adab, one of Egypt's primary literary magazines. In 2005, he won a French Award for translated literature "Laure Bataillon", one of the highest French awards to be bestowed upon non-French writers. He was entitled for this award due to his giant work "Kitâb al-Tagalliyyât" or "Book of Illuminations". In 2009, he was awarded the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Ren, the award is worth about $200,000 and is one of the world's richest literary awards.

Gamal El-Ghitani was married to the Egyptian journalist Magda El-Guindy, editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram's children's magazine "Alaaeddin". He has a son, Mohammad, and a daughter, Magda. He died on 18 October 2015 at the El Galaa Hospital For Armed Forces Officers Families in Cairo.

References

Gamal El-Ghitani Wikipedia