It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Somaya Ramadan (1952 – 2024).
Born in Cairo, Somaya Ramadan studied English literature at Cairo University. She furthered her academic journey by obtaining a PhD in English from Trinity College, Dublin in 1983. Ramadan worked as a teacher of English in AUC’s Freshman Writing Program from 1983 to 1989, served as a lecturer in English and translation at the National Academy of Arts, and served as Chair of the Literary Criticism Department at the Higher Institute of Artistic Criticism (Academy of Arts), making significant contributions to the field of literary studies.
Ramadan won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in 2001 for Awraq al-Nargis, a novel set largely in Ireland and centered around the notion of exile. This story recalls earlier Arabic works by Tawfiq al-Hakim, Taha Hussein, and Tayeb Salih and masterfully displays diverse literary motifs.
The novel was later translated into English by Marilyn Booth as Leaves of Narcissus: A Modern Arabic Novel and published in 2007 by Hoopoe.
Additionally, Ramadan is recognized for her Arabic translation of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. She is well-known for her literary works and contributions to Arabic literature.
In honor of Somaya Ramadan’s memory and legacy, we encourage readers to explore her acclaimed work Leaves of Narcissus: A Modern Arabic Novel (Hoopoe, 2007).
