Nawal El Saadawi
Nawal El Saadawi
Author • Translator27 October 1931 – 21 March 2021 · From Egypt- Books
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Egyptian feminist writer, physician, psychiatrist and activist. She earned her MD from Cairo University in 1955 and an MPH from Columbia University in 1966, working as a physician and later as director-general of health education within Egypt's ministry of health until her 1972 dismissal over her book Women and Sex.
In 1982 she founded the Arab Women's Solidarity Association, and in 1981 she was imprisoned for two months under President Anwar Sadat for her writing and activism, during which she wrote Memoirs from the Women's Prison on smuggled toilet paper.
Her fiction and nonfiction — including Woman at Point Zero and The Hidden Face of Eve — confront patriarchy, sexuality and the oppression of women in the Arab world.
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Nawal El Saadawi is widely recognized for her outspoken critiques of patriarchal societies and her advocacy for women's rights, particularly in the Arab world. Her work often explores themes of female oppression, sexuality, and the intersection of religion and gender.
Her novel "Woman at Point Zero" was adapted into a film titled "Al-Ragol Allathy Faqad Zakeratoh" (The Man Who Lost His Memory) in 1981, though it is not a direct translation of the book's title. Another notable adaptation is the 2004 Egyptian film "Dunia," which draws inspiration from her work and features her in a cameo.
For readers new to Nawal El Saadawi, "Woman at Point Zero" is often recommended as an accessible entry point into her powerful and provocative writing. It is a concise yet impactful novel that encapsulates many of her core themes.