Reem Bassiuoney

AUTHORS

An academic sociolinguist and Chair of Applied Linguistics at the American University in Cairo, Reem Bassiouney has single-handedly revitalized the Egyptian historical novel. Her dense, sensory prose eschews nationalistic romanticism in favor of a complex, architectural exploration of modern Egyptian identity through the lens of its Mamluk and Fatimid histories. She is the first woman to win the prestigious Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature (2020) for her monumental work Sons of the People: The Mamluk Trilogy, and her literary standing was further elevated when she won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Literature (2024) for Al-Halwani: The Fatimid Trilogy, a work celebrated for humanizing history through the lives of the artisans and sweet-makers who built Cairo’s physical and spiritual core.

The Confectioner: The Fatimid Trilogy

A monumental historical trilogy that chronicles the Fatimid era in Egypt through the stories of three non-Egyptian historical figures who shaped its destiny: Jawhar al-Siqilli (the Sicilian founder of Cairo), Badr al-Jamali (the Armenian vizier), and Saladin (the Kurd who ended the dynasty). The narrative weaves their political histories with the fictional story of a family of confectioners (“Al-Halwani”). Bassiouney’s work, particularly its focus on non-Egyptian protagonists who became integral to Egypt’s history, makes a powerful literary argument for a more inclusive and cosmopolitan vision of national identity. It challenges ethno-nationalist narratives by celebrating Egypt’s historical capacity to absorb and be shaped by “foreigners.”

FEATURED BOOKS

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