Radwa Ashour

Radwa Ashour (1946-2014) was a celebrated Egyptian feminist, activist, scholar, novelist, and professor of literature, whose work is considered part of the so-called Sixties generation. At the time of her premature death in the winter 2014, she had just published a memoir of her final years, including her engagement in the 2011 Egyptian revolution, Heavier than Radwa.

Ashour penned numerous works of fiction, with important historical, cultural, and political resonance and meaning. Among her most acclaimed works are her Granada Trilogy, Specters, and the Woman from Tantoura.

Ashour’s sharp political critiques, commitment to social justice, advocacy of equality for women, and untiring support for the liberation of Palestine are matched by a dedication to speaking for marginalized communities, particularly African Americans. She won many prizes and honors in her distinguished career, including the Cairo International Book Fair’s Book of the Year award in 1994 for the first volume of the Granada Trilogy.