The Three Cultures of the Mediterranean Foundation and Casa Árabe are organising the presentation of the latest work by one of the great authors of contemporary Egyptian literature, Gamal Ghitany, 'The Call of the West'. Published by Alianza Editorial, it is a fable which recalls all the charm of 'The Thousand and One Nights'. To talk to Gamal Ghitany, we will be joined by Emilio González-Ferrín, Arabist and professor of Arab and Islamic Thought at the University of Seville.
The presentation, which will take place on the terrace of Tres Culturas, will close with a musical performance by Aida Naranjo Mantero, flute soloist of the Orquesta Hispania Filarmónica and substitute of the Orquesta de la Ópera de Madrid, who will transport us to the atmosphere of the novel.
About 'The Call of the West
Young Ahmad, in the middle of the night in his humble Cairo dwelling, had heard a voice commanding him to set out into the unknown, following the course of the sun. During his journey, Ahmad joined a caravan of camels, learned his way around the desert, was a guest in an uncharted oasis, was acclaimed prince of an incredible empire, and ended up on the shores of the ocean, facing its immensity. His only luggage, a few books.
In its successive passages, of extreme narrative beauty, it conceals a satire full of humour about the absurdity of certain social and political customs in the Arab world; but it is also a hymn to the wonders of this world, to the mysteries of human life that walks towards the unknown, following the course of the sun, following the call of the west.
The author. Gamal Ghitany
Close to Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfuz, of whom he wrote a biography, Ghitany published his first book of short stories when he was 17, a time when he was working in tapestry and carpet design. He later became a journalist. He first covered the Arab-Israeli wars, the war in Lebanon and the war between Iraq and Iran, and later went on to hold management positions in several of Egypt's most prestigious media outlets.
A committed author and journalist, he was imprisoned by the Nasser regime in the 1960s and later banned from publishing for several years for his criticism of President Sadat. His novels have been translated into all major languages, notably 'The Call of the West' and 'Zayni Barakat'. In 1980 he received the Egyptian National Prize for Literature.
Simultaneous translation from Arabic into Spanish will be provided.
Free admission until full capacity is reached.
11 June, Gamal Ghitany will be at the headquarters of Casa Árabe (C/ Alcalá, 62. Madrid) to discuss his work, together with the Arabist and emeritus professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Pedro Martínez Montávez, and Eduardo López Busquets, director general of Casa Árabe.
Portuguese