“A breakthrough in the literary history of modern Arabic fiction”–Naguib Mahfouz Medal Award Committee”Rama and the Dragon deals with modernist issues, like subjective perception and alienation. In the book, al-Kharrat draws attention to the creative process itself and to the complex use of language.”–Al Jadid

Edwar al-Kharrat was born, raised, and educated in Alexandria. His first book of short stories, High Walls, was published in 1959. Since then he has written novels, criticism, and poetry. He is the winner of numerous international awards, including the Cavafi Prize. Ferial Ghazoul is an Iraqi scholar, critic, and translator. She is professor of English and comparative literature at the American University in Cairo and has written extensively on gender issues in modern and medieval literature. John Verlenden is a writing instructor in the Department of Rhetoric and Composition at the American University in Cairo, and an anthologized writer of short stories. He and Dr. Ghazoul won the King Fahd translation prize from University of Arkansas in 1997 for Egyptian poet Muhammad Afifi Matar’s Quartet of Joy.