Diary of a Child Called Souad (Giants of Contemporary Arab Literature)

This book is the first autobiography from leading Egyptian feminist Dr. Nawal El Saadawi, written at the age of ten in the form of fiction as she explores her early awakening to the world around her. Now known for her bold spirit and probing mind, El Saadawi uncovers through a child’s eyes in this novel the hypocritical values and traditions carried on by family, education, religion, and society. With amazing courage she weaves a tale of the fear, guilt, and repressive compliance forced upon her as a woman and upon her generation as the price to be paid for leading a civilized existence. Struggling to come to terms with taboos concerning her maturing body, the young El Saadawi reveals in this book the makings of a revolutionary spirit and relentlessly analytical mind. With introductions by the author and translator, this is a must read for devotees of El Saadawi to witness an early record of the maturing of her thoughts and the shaping of her ideas. Diary of a Child Called Souad is Nawal El Saadawi's first autobiography, written at the age of ten in the form of fiction as she explores her early awakening to the world around her. Now known for her bold spirit and probing mind, El Saadawi in this novel uncovers through a child's eyes the hypocritical values and traditions carried on by family, education, religion, and society. With amazing courage she weaves a tale of the fear, guilt, and repressive compliance forced upon her as a woman and upon her generation as the price to be paid for leading a civilized existence. Struggling to come to terms with taboos concerning her maturing body, the young Nawal's writing reveals the makings of a revolutionary spirit and relentlessly analytical mind. A must read for devotees of El Saadawi's writing to witness an early record of the maturing of her thoughts and the shaping of her ideas. The Author's Earliest Surviving Piece Of Creative Writing, Written As An Elementary School Assignment. Introduction: Why Is Nawal El Saadawi Banned? -- Author's Introduction -- Diary Of A Child Called Souad -- Biographical Facts -- Interview With Dr. Nawal El Saadawi. Nawal El Saadawi ; Introduced And Translated From The Arabic By Omnia Amin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Translated From The Arabic. Front Matter....Pages i-vii Introduction: Why is Nawal El Saadawi Banned?....Pages 1-24 Author’s Introduction....Pages 25-26 Diary of a Child Called Souad....Pages 29-151 Nawal El Saadawi and a History of Oppression: Brief Biographical Facts....Pages 153-158 Interview with Nawal El Saadawi....Pages 159-165 Back Matter....Pages 167-168 Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 6 Table of Contents 8 1 Introduction: Why is Nawal El Saadawi Banned? 9 2 Author’s Introduction 33 3 Diary of a Child Called Souad 36 4 Nawal El Saadawi and a History of Oppression: Brief Biographical Facts 159 5 Interview with Nawal El Saadawi 165 Index 172