Woman from Tantoura

Radwa Ashour (1946–2014) was a highly acclaimed Egyptian writer and scholar. She was the author of more than fifteen works of fiction, memoir, and criticism, including Granada (AUC Press, 2008) and Specters (AUC Press, 2010), and was a recipient of the Constantine Cavafy Prize for Literature and the prestigious Owais Prize for Fiction. Kay Heikkinen is a translator and academic who holds a PhD from Harvard University and is currently Ibn Rushd Lecturer of Arabic at the University of Chicago. Among other books, she translated Naguib Mahfouz’s In the Time of Love (AUC Press, 2010).

"“Rich, challenging and indisputably important . . . a grand narrative of Palestinian life since the Nakba . . . Read this book. Then read it again, and then lend it to your friends.” —Electronic Intifada, “Radwa Ashour was a powerful voice among Egyptian writers of the postwar generation and a writer of exceptional integrity and courage. Her work consistently engages with her country’s history and reflects passionately upon it . . . She will surely occupy an important place in the story to which she attended with such sensitivity and conscience.—The Guardian, “an important writer whose exemplary work we need more of in English”—The Independent, “one of the most influential writers in Arab region”—Egypt Independent, “Ashour writes beautifully, balancing her own talent for evocative.”—India Stoughton, The Daily Star, “Gives new insight into the known and hidden chapters of Palestinian history. It is also a celebration of Palestinian popular culture, of unsung heroes, big and small acts of resistance, creativity and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.”—Sally Bland, Jordan Times, “Radwa Ashour reveals her sublime talent in her novel The Woman from Tantoura. Serious-minded, severe, and profound, [it] is an unforgettable story about the human search for meaning in the wake of suffering and tragedy. Highly recommended.”—Library Bookwatch, “Some books have a way of enchanting, attracting, and drawing you to leave your world and start a life among its pages. The Woman from Tantoura, the latest masterpiece from Egyptian writer Radwa Ashour, is exactly that kind of book.”—Diwan al-Arab"