Fawziya Mahran

Fawziya Mahran (Arabic: فوزية مهران) (1931-2019), a late Egyptian writer, known as “Sayidat Albahar” “Lady of the sea”. She wrote in various Arabic writing branches for around seventy years. She came from one of Alexandrian country sides (was born there on December 5th, 1931) to study English language|English literature in Cairo’s university from which she graduated in 1956. In 2015, she received The State Appreciation Award in Literature.
== Career ==
Fwaziya Mahran Isa Awad is an Egyptian writer and critic. Her writing varied between fiction, theatre, critics, journalism, intellect, and translation. Her writing came to fame when the Egyptian cinema produced one of her first novels in the film “Bait Al-Talibat” “The Girls’ Dormitory”, directed by Ahmed Diaa Al-Din in 1976. The film was inspired by her arrival to the capital and her stay in the girls’ dormitory while studying in Cairo’s university. Her other literary works have also been turned into films and TV series. She is a pioneer in women’s journalism in Egypt. Moreover, she is one of the generation of pioneer who contributed to enriching the theatre in different parts of Egypt. She was one of the founders of (Sabah Al-Khair) magazine with the late Ahmed Bahaa El-Deen, who -and Salah Jahin- supported her in her early writing career. The first issue of the magazine was published in January 1956. In the early 1960s, she moved to ‘Rose Al-Yosuf’ magazine where she was responsible for the culture section. Furthermore, Since the launch of ‘Al-Osboa’ ‘The Week’ newspaper in 1997, she had her own weekly column entitled ‘Ayn’ ‘Eye’. She also wrote in various Egyptian and Arabic newspapers.
Fawziya translated some western books such as: the novel “A Certain Smile” by Françoise Sagan, a book on ‘women in the literature of George Bernard Shaw’, and others. Moreover, she presented a range of research and studies in theatrical and literary criticism such as: “The leaves of Latifa Al-Zayyat: The Fierce and Beautiful”, “Contemporary Qur’anic Attitudes”, “My Lord, Make for Me a Sign”, “A Sign and a Good Tiding”, and others.
Fawziya supported women’s issues in her writings as well as shedding light on many new writers. She became a member the general syndicate of the Egyptian Writers Union since 1988 and became a member of its administration since 2001 to 2003. She was also a member of the film selection jury at the Cairo International Film Festival for more than twenty years. During her journalistic career, she met leading thinkers and writers including Taha Hussein and Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad|Abbas Al-Aqqad.
It is mentioned that she was the first to blew up in one of her articles the involvement of intelligence agencies in the United States in the death of Marilyn Monroe. It was reported in New York City, Washington (state), and Paris. In addition to some newspapers in Britain, France, and Spain. 
== Works ==
* Statues Commit Suicide (Al-Tamatheel Tantahir).
* The Horses of The Sea (Jiad Al-Bahr).
* The Breakwater (Hajiz Al-Amwaj).
* A Sign and A Good Tiding (Aya Wa Bushra).
* Contemporary Qur’anic Attitudes (Mwawaqif Qurania Mu’asra).
* The Leaves of Latifa Al-Zayyat.
* The Girls’ Dormitory (Bait Al-Talibat).
* The Brothers’ Lighthouse (Fanar Al-Akhawain).
* The Sea Song (Augniat Al-Bahr).
* Egyptian Women Are Pioneers and Innovators (Misriyat Ra’idat Mubdi’at).
== Awards ==
* received The State Appreciation Award in Literature for all her literary works.
* In 2015, She was honored at the Permanent Arabic Narrative Forum in Cairo for her excellence in literary presentation.
== Death ==
She passed away on Saturday, November 2nd, 2019, at the age of 88. Many of her career companions participated in the burial ceremony in Sandbis village in Qaha city in Qalyubiyya Governorate. She suffered for years due to a joint lead to a health crisis, which resulted in her being admitted to the intensive care unit at Badran hospital in Al-Duqa. Doctors kept her in check for four days. She then was moved to a normal room after her condition improved. After leaving the hospital, she passed away at her home.
Category:Arab writers
Category:Egyptian writers
Category:1930 births
Category:Women writers