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 12s
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
47m 36s
Feb 2025
"The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho" - with Somia Anwar
Today, Raha meets Somia. Somia Anwar is the co-founder of Bookends – a marketplace for used books in the UAE. While her kids were growing older, they struggled to keep refreshing their book collections at affordable prices, so she and her co-founder Grace started their business a ... Show More
22m 30s