Samiya Mehrez

Samia Mehrez (Arabic: سامية محرز) is an Egyptian professor of contemporary literature, literary critic, and researcher, who was born on 1 January 1955. She is President of the Center for Translation Studies at the American University in Cairo. Mehrez has played a major role in publishing articles on translation, contemporary Arab literature, post-colonial studies and various cultural topics.

Education She received many certificates of recognition and has a number of publications and articles. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Comparative Literature, and Drama from the American University in Cairo in 1977, and a Master's of Arts degree in Comparative Literature from the same university in 1979, as well as a PhD in comparative literature from the University of California, United States in 1985.

Mehrez specializes in comparative English literature, drama, and modern Arab literature. She also happens to be Ibrahim Nagi's granddaughter.

Works

“Egyptian Writers Between History and Storytelling: Articles on Najib Mahfouz, Sonallah Ibrahim and Gamal al-Ghitani.” (American University in Cairo Publications, 1994 and 2005). “Egypt’s Culture Wars Between Politics and Practice.” (Routledge Publishing, 2008 and American University in Cairo Publications, 2010). “Cairo's Literary Life: A Hundred Years in the Heart of the City.” (2011) “The Day the Leader was Killed by Naguib Mahfouz,” trans. Ibrahim Fathi, Akhbar al-Adab, October 22, 1994. (Arabic) “De L'Or de Paris aux Mille et un ecrivains du Caire,” introduction; “Gamal Ghitani,” “Salwa Bakr,” bio-bibliographies, Belles Etrangères: Egypte (Ministère de la Culture: Paris, 1994). (French) “Under Egyptian Eyes,” introduction to the catalog for the collective exhibit Occidentalism, curated by Karim Francis, Cairo, May 2007. “What I did not Tell Edward: Homage to Edward Said,” in Al-Adab, November, 2003. “Three Papers for Latifa al-Zayyat,” Akbar al-Adab, 1997. (Arabic) “The Document of Incrimination: A Reading of the Al-Khubz al-Hafi Crisis,” in Al-Adab, November, 2002. (Arabic) “Ibrahim Nagi: A Rekindling Long Overdue” (Dar al-Shorouk, 2021).

Awards

Nominated for Woman of the Year Award, University of California, Berkeley (1982). Society for the Humanities, Cornell University – United States (1987). Edith Krieger Distinguished Visiting Professor, Northwestern University (1992). She was nominated for Genevieve McMillan-Reba Stewart Chair, MIT – United States (1996). Social Research Center Fellowship, American University in Cairo (1999). She was on the Who's Who list for 2000.