A Cloudy Day on the West Side
Mohamed Mansi Qandil
In his novel A Cloudy Day on the West Side (Dar El-Shorouk, Cairo, 2009), Mohamed Mansi Qandil evokes the period of great archaeological discovery and nationalist struggle in Egypt. The novel tells the story of a young girl taken from home by her mother when she is forced to flee her abusive husband. After changing her name and fastening a crucifix around her tiny arm, the mother leaves her daughter at a village in Asyut. The fate of the girl, who grows up to become a translator, intersects with that of a number of historical figures from the period, including Howard Carter, Lord Cromer and Abdulrahman al-Rifa'i. This thrilling tale is brought to life by the author's detailed and vivid descriptions of real historical events and places.
Nomination
2010 Shortlist
Mohamed Mansi Qandil
Country of origin Egypt
About the author
Mohamed Mansi Qandil is an Egyptian novelist, born in 1949 in the Egyptian delta city of al-Mahalla al-Kubra. He graduated from medical school in Mansoura in 1975, but gave up medicine, devoting himself instead to writing, and going on to win the State Incentive Prize in 1988. His works are marked by a fascination with history. His novels include Moon over Samarkand (2004) winner of the 2006 Sawiris Award, which was translated into English, and A Cloudy Day on the West Side (2009), shortlisted for the 2010 International Prize for Arabic Fiction.