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Al-Ahram Weekly 2 - 8 September 1999 Issue No. 445 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 2 - 8 September 1999 Issue No. 445
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Focus Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Youthful prizes
Prizes have certainly had an impact on my career as a writer, particularly at the outset. When I began it was extremely difficult to get a book published, so much so that whenever I finished a novel I would put the manuscript in some drawer, sometimes for years, before it found a publisher until the time came for it to see the light.
In fact, it was before any of my books were published that I received my first award, the Qut El-Qulub El-Demerdashiya prize. This was followed by prizes offered by the Arab Language Academy and the Ministry of Education. And I have no doubt that such awards paved the way towards the publication of my novels.
The Publication Committee for University Graduates, established by Abdel-Hamid Gouda and Said El-Sahhar in 1943, were important sponsors of new writers, and emboldened by the prizes I had won, they proceeded to publish my writings.
It must be remembered that at the time winning a prize was an unquestionable recognition of the value of a work of fiction, and guaranteed, too, that it would find a ready readership among members of the public. Prizes, then, were at that time an important aspect of the literary life of the nation.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
