Mercy of Zia: A Writing Journey of Discovery and Experimentation
AlEtihad (nprofile…yefn)
Ahmed Atef (Cairo) writes as a means to dispel her confusion and confront her deep questions about the world. She writes to dispel confusion, as she says, so that it is not written on her tombstone: 'Here lies a girl who lived and died in confusion.' This is the philosophy of writing for the Egyptian writer, Rahma Diaa. She says: 'As long as I envied those who were confident in their steps in life, the writing gave me this confidence, even if it was temporary.' Rahma Diaa explained that writing was her means of organizing her thoughts, making decisions, and documenting her different life moments since her educational stages. The awards she received, whether in journalism or literature, boosted her confidence and ability to continue, as she said: 'Awards like the Khairy Shalaby Award helped me transition from just writing to publishing and sharing my work with others.' 'Lady of the Coffee' and revealed that the idea of her novel 'Lady of the Coffee' was inspired by an ancient legend about the origin of the coffee tree, where she linked the protagonist's character (Mimi) to the magical tree, and spent about a year and a half preparing and writing it, aiming to present a different perspective on life through the world of cooking, highlighting its components, and reviewing the history and myths related to it. About her literary project, Rahma Diaa said that her journey in writing is a 'journey of discovery and experimentation', and she does not seek to settle on a specific literary genre at this stage, writing for herself first, but she wants the reader to find resonance in her writings for their questions and concerns. She added that her novel 'Nashbinde' came as a means to overcome the fear and sadness during the Corona (COVID-19) period, while 'Lady of the Coffee' was an attempt to build on her first experience, and she is currently working on a new short story collection within travel literature. The Egyptian writer sees that imagination is the basis of good writing, and literary distinction comes from the writer's unique perspective on the world, with the challenge of balancing journalistic writing and literary writing, and described herself as 'torn between two loves'. Rahma Diaa combines reading the works of major authors, such as Naguib Mahfouz and Youssef Edris, with enjoying the works of contemporary writers like Muhammad Mansi Qandil, Muhammad al-Makhzangi, Razia Ashour, and Iman Mursi, and the electronic reading applications have given her a greater opportunity to discover diverse works and learn from them. Rahma Diaa, an Egyptian writer and journalist, has received several journalistic awards, including the Hikma Award for Arab Journalism and the 'Promising Journalist' international award, and was chosen by 'Women of Egypt' magazine as one of the 50 inspiring women in 2019, and was honored in the framework of the '21 Influential Egyptian Women' campaign in 2021, and a short story collection titled 'Dance with the Roman' was published, and her novel 'Nashbinde' won the Khairy Shalby Award for the first novel in 2021.
https://www.aletihad.ae/news/%D8%AB%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%A9/4540191/%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%B6%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A1--%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%81-%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A8
Ahmed Atef (Cairo) writes as a means to dispel her confusion and confront her deep questions about the world. She writes to dispel confusion, as she says, so that it is not written on her tombstone: 'Here lies a girl who lived and died in confusion.' This is the philosophy of writing for the Egyptian writer, Rahma Diaa. She says: 'As long as I envied those who were confident in their steps in life, the writing gave me this confidence, even if it was temporary.' Rahma Diaa explained that writing was her means of organizing her thoughts, making decisions, and documenting her different life moments since her educational stages. The awards she received, whether in journalism or literature, boosted her confidence and ability to continue, as she said: 'Awards like the Khairy Shalaby Award helped me transition from just writing to publishing and sharing my work with others.' 'Lady of the Coffee' and revealed that the idea of her novel 'Lady of the Coffee' was inspired by an ancient legend about the origin of the coffee tree, where she linked the protagonist's character (Mimi) to the magical tree, and spent about a year and a half preparing and writing it, aiming to present a different perspective on life through the world of cooking, highlighting its components, and reviewing the history and myths related to it. About her literary project, Rahma Diaa said that her journey in writing is a 'journey of discovery and experimentation', and she does not seek to settle on a specific literary genre at this stage, writing for herself first, but she wants the reader to find resonance in her writings for their questions and concerns. She added that her novel 'Nashbinde' came as a means to overcome the fear and sadness during the Corona (COVID-19) period, while 'Lady of the Coffee' was an attempt to build on her first experience, and she is currently working on a new short story collection within travel literature. The Egyptian writer sees that imagination is the basis of good writing, and literary distinction comes from the writer's unique perspective on the world, with the challenge of balancing journalistic writing and literary writing, and described herself as 'torn between two loves'. Rahma Diaa combines reading the works of major authors, such as Naguib Mahfouz and Youssef Edris, with enjoying the works of contemporary writers like Muhammad Mansi Qandil, Muhammad al-Makhzangi, Razia Ashour, and Iman Mursi, and the electronic reading applications have given her a greater opportunity to discover diverse works and learn from them. Rahma Diaa, an Egyptian writer and journalist, has received several journalistic awards, including the Hikma Award for Arab Journalism and the 'Promising Journalist' international award, and was chosen by 'Women of Egypt' magazine as one of the 50 inspiring women in 2019, and was honored in the framework of the '21 Influential Egyptian Women' campaign in 2021, and a short story collection titled 'Dance with the Roman' was published, and her novel 'Nashbinde' won the Khairy Shalby Award for the first novel in 2021.
https://www.aletihad.ae/news/%D8%AB%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%A9/4540191/%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%B6%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A1--%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%81-%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A8