Abdel Rahman Munif

But as I was to realise quite quickly, my late arrival to the novel was not a mistake, because fiction-writing, like all other mediums of expression, calls for life experience, including sometimes experience of failure...

...the world should be discovered and understood anew through the novel as a prelude to effecting change

Thus, embarking on a novel is in itself the objective and the target. Even the subject-matter of the novel -- any novel -- is often no more than a cause, a raison d'être, for the novelist to continue.

The more courageous the novel, regardless of its subject matter, the more it can shake rotten roots, clean away thick layers of dust and become an instrument of discovery, knowledge and freedom.

He knows of what he speaks. The full article.

NY TIMES OP ED

The other day the always thoughtful Osama al-Ghazali Harb, a top figure at Egypt's semiofficial Al Ahram center for strategic studies, the most important think tank in Egypt, published an article in the country's leading political quarterly, Al Siyassa Al Dawliya, in which he chastised those Arab commentators who argue that the way in which the U.S. captured Saddam was meant to humiliate Arabs.

Here's the full article by Thomas Friedman.

Here's the article to which Friedman refers.

HOPE

So this little blog is meant to spur me on to try new avenues and resources, to keep that hope alive, that I will be able to live in Egypt and write my book.

Many of the links I list here, I've already looked at a dozen times, but I go back for updates and to refresh my memory. I have stacks of print articles I've researched on all types of topics in Egypt as well. Mainly social and women's issues really.

So that's a little bit more about me. And the reason for the blog.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

Well, because I am writing this blog, partly as an attempt to keep alive the hope that I will someday be able to complete the creative project I have become somewhat obsessed with. Working at the public library, I see materials on Islam and Egypt and music come in every day. Last fall when I was applying for the grant, puttin aside everything else in order to do the best possible application, I started taking out books and music and language tapes, to begin the process of understanding I knew would help me when I finally got to Egypt to begin my writing project.

Just writing about it now makes my heart sink slightly. I received my notice last week that I was not being considered further in the process, and that day, it felt like someone had died.

The portions of my personal essay I shared just before, actually took months to hone into a statement of who I am, what I believe in, and where I want to be and to grow. The process was sometimes difficult and frustrating, but inevitably now, I can't turn away from what I learned about myself and about what I want.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME...

I am a writer and I am a musician. As a child, I loved the piano and singing, and books. Even before I could read and write I pretended to read and I wrote (or scribbled, to my mother’s dismay) in between the type of old books, as though I was the author. At ten, binding my own book and filling it with short stories was entertainment for me. In junior high, I began writing poetry and continued throughout high school. When I was fourteen, I wrote a 300 page soap opera about my friends and me. I began a daily journal in high school and have kept a journal since that age. Books were important to me from the very beginning. I understood that books were worlds unto themselves, places of fantasy and doorways to unreachable lands and lives.

The above was taken from an essay I wrote for an artist grant that I wrote. More...

I went on to college and the study of sociology, as my passion for social justice, understanding, and compassion for others came to the forefront. I learned I was able to see the best in someone, even if they could not see it themselves, and I could easily place myself in their shoes, a trait likely born of my early experiences with being an outcast at times. Writing and music were still my respite and a way to express my emotions.
After I graduated from SUNY Buffalo, I took a poetry class there for the first time. I continued taking writing classes, though my finest writing came from watching, listening, feeling, and simply writing. I write best from my heart, and my heart expanded during my tenure as a children’s social worker. I learned to play the guitar at this time, and began to write my own music. My passions were all there, yet I could not seem to bring my desire for social justice and compassion, into co-existence with my creative life.

This essay evolved over time, while I was developing the creative project for the grant application.

MORE GREAT TRAVEL

Surfing aimlessly brought me here. I'd love to see the jewelry collection at the new Alexandria National Museum.

Wish instead of wandering aimlessly through links, I'll be able to wander aimlessly through ancient artifacts. Soon.

52 WEEKENDS

Looking for something to do for the weekend in Egypt? Try some of these wonderful ideas.

Love the cover of last month at Egypt Today. I want to be immersed in the mediterranean like that. :)

MUSICAL ART

"Each person sees what he wants to see," Georges El-Bahgory says irritably. "If I give you a flower, you won't ask me what it means."

I found this quote here.

Interesting article about the painter mentioned above. Talking about his exhibit at the Mashrabia Gallery. He was inspired by Moroccan musicians...I'd love to see all of these.

THE BEGINNING

My interest in Egypt probably started a very long time ago in middle school. Remember the school projects we all were required to do? I don't remember one in particular, but I do know that since that time, I have been fascinated by the idea of the pyramids of Ancient Egypt, and by of course, mummies. It seems to me now, that I can't imagine who wouldn't be interested in Ancient Egypt.

This blog however is the beginning of my chronicle to journey to modern Egypt. I hope to travel there, and possibly live and work there too (more about this later). I hope the end of the blog finds me there, writing, and experiencing life in this culture that has so intrigued me most of my life.

I am a writer and musician, and I hope to explore the world of music in a world both different, and the same, as my own.