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|
The
2004 Award
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|
Leaves
of Narcissus by
Somaya Ramadan |
Nominated by:
Publisher
of Nominated Edition:
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| the complete A-Z listing of nominated authors |
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ABOUT
THE BOOK
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| This novel of home and homelessness, of exile both physical and psychological, centres on Kimi, a fragile heroine suffering from a rift in her persona, unable to distinguish between her own pain and the pain of others. For Kimi it is not a simple case of to be or not to be, but rather of how to be in disjointed and contrary times. Leaves of Narcissus is about a young Arab student going west in search of education. Here, though, the protagonist is a young woman and her destination is Ireland, a part of the West and at the same time a victim of the ravages of colonialism - adding ambiguity to the customary representations of the East/West dichotomy. In this captivating novel, Somaya Ramadan displays a rare virtuosity in evoking and interlacing literary motifs - from the popular to the learned, from the folk to the mythic, from the Egyptian to the Irish - and poses questions rather than answers, questions that hold a mirror to our selves. |
| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |
| Somaya Ramadan was born in Cairo in 1951. She received her Ph.D. in English from Trinity College, Dublin. She is a lecturer in English and translation at the National Academy of Arts. |
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