Fatma Moussa Mahmoud (Arabic: فاطمة موسى محمود) (April 25, 1927 – Cairo, October 13, 2007),[1][2] was an Egyptian academic, translator, and literary critic.

Fatma Moussa
BornApril 25, 1927
DiedOctober 13, 2007
NationalityEgyptian
Occupation(s)writer, academic, and translator
SpouseMustafa Soueif

Life

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Fatma Moussa got her degree in English Language and Literature, first-class honours, from Fouad I university (now Cairo university) in Cairo in 1948. She obtained her master’s degree in English language and literature from the same university in 1954. Then, she got her PhD in Philosophy of English Language and Literature from Westfield College, University of London, in 1957.

She started her academic career with the impact of ‘Eastern novel’ on European literature in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. She frequently quoted from One Thousand and One Nights (Arabic: ألف ليلة وليلة), showing its influence on Western literature. Afterwards, she moved to another academic field, which is the impact of the European novel on the renaissance of the Egyptian novel.

Fatma continued to bridge between the Eastern and Western literature. She wrote studies on the inclusion of one literature in the other side. Moreover, she taught generations of Arab academics to write in this field.

Fatma remained active until her last days. She continued to teach classes for graduate students in Cairo university, supervise doctoral theses, and manage the translation committee of the Supreme Council of Culture.

Writing and literary criticism

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As an Arab literary critic, Fatma wrote excessively on both Arabic and European literature. Naguib Mahfouz once said that she is the best critic of his works. One of her most prominent books is The Theatre Dictionary (Qamoos Al-Masrah).[3]

Translator

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Fatma translated several plays of Shakespeare such as King Lear,[4] which was performed by the Egyptian National Theatre in 2002. Moreover, she was one of the first to translate Naguib Mahfouz works to English years before he won the Nobel prize. Some consider her translation of Miramar to be the best English translation of Naguib Mahfouz’s novels.[5] Furthermore, she translated some works by her novelist daughter Ahdaf Soueif who writes in English.[6]

Career

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Fatma worked as head of the English Department at Cairo University. She also worked as Rapporteur of the Translation Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture, and Chief Executive of the Egyptian Pen Association.

Associations:

  • International English Language Teachers in Universities association.
  • International Comparative Literature Association.
  • The International Shakespeare Association.
  • The Modern Language Association.
  • The British Society for Middle Eastern Studies.
  • The Egyptian Society of Comparative Literature.
  • PEN International (the Egyptian branch).
  • Supreme Council of Culture.

Awards

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  • The State Appreciation Award in Literature in 1997.
  • Arabic Translators International award in 2007.[7]

Family

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Fatma’s husband was Mustafa Soueif, founder of the Department of Psychology at Cairo University.[8] Their eldest daughter Ahdaf is a writer who writes in English.[9] Their middle daughter Laila is a professor of mathematics at Cairo University and a well-known left-wing human rights activist.[10] Their youngest is Ala who is an engineer.

Death

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Fatma Moussa died on October 13, 2007.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Mūsā Maḥmūd, Fāṭima, 1927‒2007". opac.diamond-ils.org. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  2. ^ a b "المصرى اليوم | وفاة الرائدة المسرحية والمترجمة د.فاطمة موسى". 2012-01-16. Archived from the original on 2012-01-16. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  3. ^ "Nwf.com: قاموس المسرح: فاطمة موسى: كتب". www.neelwafurat.com. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  4. ^ faisal175 (2017-01-28). "ترجمة مسرحية الملك لير بين جبرا وموسى وبدوي – ترجمة د. فاطمة موسى ونقل فريق المدرسة العربية للترجمة (أ)". مدونة فيصل كريم الظفيري - Faisal Kareem Blog (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-11-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Miramar". AUCPress. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  6. ^ "An interview with well-known writer Ahdaf Soueif". Arab News. 2001-04-20. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  7. ^ "Free Arabi العربي الحر". 2016-03-04. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  8. ^ "الدكتور مصطفى سويف". sst5.com. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  9. ^ "Ahdaf Soueif - Literature". literature.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  10. ^ Bidoun. "Laila Soueif". Bidoun. Retrieved 2021-11-03.