The Many Lives of Ibrahim Nagui

“Samia Mehrez, with a brief nod to the austere Ibrahim Nagui of record, reveals the passionate, questing, idealist poet-physician in all his human complexity. A lovingly forensic exploration of the grandfather she never knew—and a gift to us, his readers.”—Ahdaf Soueif, author of The Map of Love

"Samia Mehrez shatters the oversized, too-perfect image of her famous poet-physician grandfather, giving us a lesson in how to craft a portrait of a real person with dry humor and clear eyes. Beautifully translated by Eleanor Ellis."—Marcia Lynx Qualey, ArabLit

"This intimate portrait of an iconic Egyptian poet by his granddaughter is a genre-bending text of critical brilliance, combining biography, autobiography, translation studies, textual criticism, and archival documents, as well as delineating a cultural history of twentieth-century Egypt."—Ferial Ghazoul, The American University in Cairo

“Contemplating a portrait of her grandfather, Samia Mehrez proceeds to assemble the fragments of his life and in the process to discover her own growing affinities with him. An enchanting and unique foray into interpersonal biography.”—Tarif Khalidi, American University of Beirut

"A wonderful book that represents an important contribution to the work of Samia Mehrez, who has previously published in the fields of literary criticism and translation studies.”—Sonallah Ibrahim, author of Warda

"Nagui’s culminating image is so intimate, so dazzling in its multi-dimensionality that he comes to life in 3-D. The success here is dual, because as one main character unravels before our eyes, so does the other. As Mehrez crosses the final boundary with Nagui, he exits the picture frame."—Jadaliyya