When Nadia Wassef, her sister Hind and friend Nihal started their bookshop, Diwan, back in 2002, they had no idea that ten years later they would be running ten bookshops across Egypt meeting a growing demand for books both in Arabic and English, French and German. There were many bumps in the road, and there was cer ... Show More
Feb 2021
‘Every act of reading is historical,’ Nadia Wassef on the art of reading vs. the craft of writing, and the business of founding Diwan, one of Egypt’s most popular modern book stores.
This week we’re joined remotely by Nadia Wassef who in 2002 co-founded Cairo’s popular Diwan bookstore with her sister, Hind Wassef and their friend Nihal. Now, with three Masters degrees in her pocket and a separation from Diwan, Nadia is embarking on the arduous journey of writ ... Show More
53m 11s
Aug 2013
Ahdaf Soueif - The Map of Love
At this crucial moment in Egypt’s story, this month’s World Book Club talks to one of the country’s great writers, Ahdaf Soueif, about her internationally acclaimed novel The Map of Love.In her Booker-shortlisted bestseller Soueif weaves together two poignant stories separated by ... Show More
53m 31s
Jun 2022
“The issue with progress is that it’s seldom linear.” Nadia Wassef on narrative structure, trafficking in nostalgia and life after publishing a debut memoir.
This week, we reunite with a previous guest; author and friend of The Lighthouse, Nadia Wassef. Since our first episode with Nadia, her well received debut memoir Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller has been published in several languages and Nadia is now preparing for her second na ... Show More
49m 35s
Sep 2022
Nahid Shahalimi Gathers the Voices of Afghan Women
It was just a year ago that the U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. On that date, Nahid Shahalimi, an Afghan female writer living in Germany, realized that she needed to hurry to record the stories of prominent Afghan women who soon would try to escape their country, or st ... Show More
38m 13s