Saudi director and actress Fatima Al Banawi and Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy are among the most prominent Arab artists who have experienced writing (Al Jazeera)

The issuance of books by artists, filmmakers and drama makers is not a new thing for the public, as many have followed the approach begun by the artists of the “Beautiful Time” - such as Naguib Al-Rihani, Youssef Wehbe and Majda Al-Sabahi - who documented their autobiographies with books that tell about the conflicts and crises they faced on their way. To success.

The 55th session of the Cairo International Book Fair - which concluded its activities on February 6th - witnessed signing seminars for a number of Egyptian artists, including the writer and screenwriter Abdel Rahim Kamal, who published his novel “All Games for Entertainment” and presented his philosophy of life.

As for the artist Mohie Ismail, he published his new novel, “The Flying Geese and the Lame Ducks,” in conjunction with the book fair, after spending two years working on it, and it included his reflections on what is happening in the world and the causes of wars.

Ismail has many writing experiences, including the novels “The Wounds of Souls,” “The Complexities of the Human Soul,” and “The Crazy: A Novel of Human Literature.”

As for the artist Khaled Al-Sawy, although he did not publish a new book during the year, the exhibition’s management held a symposium to discuss and sign two of his republished books, which he published in his youth before joining the artistic scene in Egypt, which are “A Prophet Without Followers” ​​and “The Drift Operetta.” ", which had previously been turned into a theatrical script.

Aside from those who participated in the Cairo International Book Fair, we review below some of the literary experiences of Arab artists:

Ahmed Helmy and “28 Letters”

Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy was able to address the new generation with his sense of humor not only through his films, but also through his writings, which he collected in the book “28 Letters,” which was published in 2012.

"28 Letters" was one of the best-selling books for many years, as the number of its editions exceeded 20, and it includes a number of articles that Helmy published in the Egyptian newspaper "Al-Dustour".

Despite the great success achieved by the book, Helmy has not tried the experience again yet, but he said that he is working on a new book that will be published soon.

Salah Abdullah and colloquial poetry

As for the Egyptian actor Salah Abdullah, followers of his accounts on social media know the extent of his mastery of colloquial poetry, as he takes advantage of all occasions to express his joy or dissatisfaction with his sarcastic verses about some of the events that affect the artistic and political scene.

Abdullah collected a number of his poems in a collection of poetry under the title “Fables... in the Blind Colloquial,” in which he included poems that he composed throughout his life.

Ayman Zidane.. in love with Damascus

For his part, the Syrian actor and producer Ayman Zidane went through a number of successful writing experiences by publishing a number of books over various years, including the book “I Will Become an Actor,” which he published in 2021 to document his most important steps in the world of art, beginning with his dreams of becoming He acted in drama and cinema in his youth, until he reached the forefront of the Syrian and Arab artistic scene.

Before that, Zidane launched his short story collection “Details” in 2018, which dealt with the tragedies experienced by simple Syrians.

Nostalgia for the city of Damascus also accompanied Zidane in his book “Aches,” which was published in 2016, and included a number of short stories whose events took place in the Syrian capital.

Jeddah inspires Fatima Al Banawi

As for the Saudi director and actress Fatima Al-Banawi, she said that the city of Jeddah, where she was born and raised, has always been her source of inspiration, so it was natural for “The Bride of the Red Sea” to be the focus of her first book, “The Other Story,” which was published in 2022 in conjunction with the activities of the Jeddah International Book Fair.

In “The Other Story,” Al-Banawi reviewed part of Jeddah’s contemporary human history, and told realistic stories of the city’s people based on her grandfather’s memories.

Source: Al Jazeera + websites