Bahaa Taher

Taher was born in Cairo in 1935.[1] He graduated in literature from the University of Cairo. Upon being banned from writing in 1975,[2] he left Egypt and travelled widely in Africa and Asia seeking work as a translator.[2] During the 1980s and 1990s he lived in Switzerland, where he worked as a translator for the United Nations.[1] Afterwards he returned to Egypt, where he continues to reside.

East of the Palms (1985) (Arabic: شرق النخيل‎) His first novel was published in serialized form.[2]

Qalat Duha (1985) (Arabic: قالت ضحى‎)

Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery (1991) (Arabic: خالتي صفية والدير‎) His third novel, set in Upper Egypt, concerns a blood feud as a result of which a young Muslim man, fleeing vengeance, finds sanctuary in a Coptic monastery.

Love in Exile (1995) (Arabic: الحب في المنفى‎) His fourth novel deals with the massacre of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon in 1982.

The Point of Light (2001) (Arabic: نقطة النور‎)

Sunset Oasis (2007) (Arabic: واحة الغروب‎) His sixth novel is set in 19th century Egypt at the beginning of the British occupation of the country. The protagonist of the book is a nationalist Egyptian police officer who suffers from an existential crisis.[3][4]

• Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery has been translated into ten languages,[2] including the 1996 English translation by Barbara Romaine.
• Love in Exile was translated into English by Farouk Abdel Wahab, the pen name of Farouk Mustafa.[5] The translation was published by American University in Cairo Press in 2001 and later reissued by Arabia Books.[6]
• Qalat Doha (As Doha Said) was translated by Peter Daniel and published by the American University in Cairo Press in 2008.
• Sunset Oasis was translated into English by Humphrey Davies and was published in the UK in 2009 by Sceptre.[7]
• Sunset Oasis was translated into Norwegian by Unn Gyda Næss and is published by Vigmostad og Bjørke. Norwegian title: "Der solen går ned", ISBN 978-82-419-0583-4.[8]
• Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery was translated into Georgian by Zviad Tskhvetiani and is published by წიგნები ბათუმში. Georgian title: დეიდა საფია და მონასტერი, ISBN 978-9941-474-10-1.[9]

• 1998 State Award of Merit in Literature, which is Egypt's highest literary award.[1]
• 2000 Italian Giuseppe Acerbi Prize for Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery.[1]
• 2008 International Prize for Arabic Fiction for Sunset Oasis. He is the first winner of this prize.[4]

In his youth he was involved in left wing causes,[1] and was a supporter of Gamal Abdel Nasser’s development program for Egypt.[2] He feels that Anwar El Sadat’s ending of this policy has been a disaster for Egypt.[2] He calls himself a pan-Arabist, but he says that he does not see much good in the Arab regimes of today.[2] He feels that Westerners want to see exoticism, gender discrimination, and problems between minorities in the works of Arab writers, but he refuses to comply with these stereotypes.[2]

• Bahaa Taher: Excerpts, articles, interviews and videos on the website of the Prague Writers' Festival
• A short profile of the writer
• An interview with the writer in Egyptian Today in which he talks about his life and Sunset Oasis