About the Author

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Abdel Rahman al-Sharqawi (1920-1987) was born into a peasant family in theEgyptian province of Menoufia. His first works were published while he was astudent at the law school of the University of Cairo, and he became widelyknown after the publication of his novel Egyptian Earth in 1953. Theauthor of four novels as well as numerous short stories, poetry collections andplays, his work is highly regarded for its realism and commitment to socialissues of the day. Al-Sharqawi also took part in the antimonarchy struggle and foundedthe progressive journal Al-Katib, which advocated peaceful cooperationamong peoples. In 1974, al-Sharqawi received the State Appreciation Award inLiterature by the Egyptian government.