
Traces: A Memoir
Mae Ghalwash
Gamal al-Ghitani. Nader K. Uthman, tr.
2020, AUC Press, 978-9-77416-953-3, $25 pb.
The essence of this memoir lies in its opening epigraph, “As if life were a memory,” by acclaimed Egyptian poet Fuad Haddad (1927–1985). Al-Ghitani (1945–2015), a renowned writer himself, recounts his life through passages of fleeting thoughts, emotions and disjointed memories. Originally written in 2005 in Arabic, Uthman's translation maintains the memoir’s integrity and haunting spirit. Before his 2015 passing, the celebrated Egyptian author wrote more than a dozen novels, winning state and international awards. This work presents vintage al-Ghitani, with his sensitive pondering of life, melancholic probing of the past and existential questions. It's an invitation into his mind, with even the shortest instances and thoughts recorded. Al-Ghitani brings to life his childhood neighborhood in Old Cairo, his favorite food vendors and explores his and his father’s parenting abilities. Traces seems to transcend temporality and physicality, as al-Ghitani switches between reality, thoughts and dreams, often only hinting at locations and era. But al-Ghitani masterfully weaves his life's vignettes together with a dream-like quality, making the memoir a pleasure to be swept up in.
You may also be interested in...
Children’s Book Documents Rise of Umm Kulthum, Egypt’s Star of the East, As Declaration of National Identity
Illustrator Rhonda Roumani presents an illustrative biography of legendary Egyptian singer and cultural icon Umm Kulthum.Omani Author Zahran Alqasmi's Story About Life, Land and Honey
In his third novel, about a beekeeper living in Oman’s mountainous interior, local author Zahran Alqasmi grapples with a changing landscape around him.Old Documents Shed New Light on History in Book Connected to Ancient Islamic World
The painstaking work to recover history—one page at a time—is on brilliant display in this collection of essays focusing on early Arabic, Coptic, Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Sogdian manuscripts.