Ibrahim Abdel Meguid is a prominent Egyptian novelist and writer. He graduated from the Faculty of Arts, Department of Philosophy, at Alexandria University. In 1974, he moved to Cairo, where he worked in the General Authority for Cultural Palaces within the Ministry of Culture. Alongside his administrative role, he built a prolific literary career encompassing novels, short stories, and essays published in major Arab and Egyptian periodicals, such as Al-Adab, Al-Aqlam, Al-Hayat, Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Quds, Al-Bayan, Al-Khaleej, Al-Doha, Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar, Al-Masry Al-Youm, and Rose al-Yusuf.
Editorial and Media Career
He served as the Editor-in-Chief of the “New Writings” series for six years and the “Identity of Place” series for five years. He also penned weekly columns for Youm7 and Al-Akhbar newspapers. His creative contributions extended to drama; he wrote the screenplay for the Egyptian TV series “Between Two Shores and Water.” Several of his literary works were adapted for television and cinema, including the novels Sea Lanterns and No One Sleeps in Alexandria, while his novel The Hunter and the Dove was adapted into a feature film. His works have been translated into several languages, including English, Italian, French, and Greek.
Literary Legacy and Major Works
Regarded as one of the most significant voices in contemporary Arabic literature, Abdel Meguid has left an indelible mark through his diverse works, such as:
In the Sixty-Seventh Summer
The Night of Love and Blood
The Jasmine House
The Other Place
No One Sleeps in Alexandria
Birds of Amber
Virgo
Thresholds of Joy
Every Week Has a Friday
Clouds Over Alexandria
Adagio
Awards and Honors
Ibrahim Abdel Meguid has garnered numerous prestigious awards, most notably:
The Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature (AUC Press, 1996) for his novel The Other Place.
The Cairo International Book Fair Award for Best Novel (1996) for No One Sleeps in Alexandria.
The State Award for Excellence in Literature (2004).
The State Appreciation Award in Literature (2007).
The Katara Prize for Arabic Novel (2015) for his novel Adagio.
The Nile Prize (2022), which is the highest cultural honor bestowed in Egypt.
