Ahmed Khaled Tawfik

Ahmed Khaled Tawfik
أحمد خالد توفيق
Born Ahmed Khaled Tawfik Farraag
June 1962 (age 54)
Tanta, Egypt
Occupation Novelist, author & poet. Former professor of medicine at Tanta University, Egypt.
Nationality Egyptian
Genre Horror, Drama & Comedy

Ahmed Khaled Tawfik Farraag (Arabic: أحمد خالد توفيق‎‎) (born June 1962) is an Egyptian author,[1] also known as Ahmed Khaled Tawfik or Ahmed Khaled Towfik.[2] He is the first contemporary Arab writer to write horror and science fiction and the first Arab writer to explore the medical thriller genre. His series "Fantasia" "was the first of its kind; a plot that presents famous literary works to the youth, through an interactive presentation. "Fantasia" presented the young Arab reader to a wide spectrum of topics framing Arthur Conan Doyle and Sikhism, to Dostoevsky and the Cosa Nostra.

Tawfik is considered by a whole Arab generation to be one of the most influential writers of their time. His legacy has influenced thousands of Arab authors.

Biography

Born in June 1962 in the northern Egyptian city of Tanta,[3][2] Tawfik graduated from Tanta University's medical school in 1985.[3] He attained a PhD in 1997. In 1992, he joined the Modern Arab Association publishing company and began writing his first series of novels the following year.[4] In January 1993, he published the first installment in his horror/thriller series Ma Waraa Al Tabiaa (Arabic: ما وراء الطبيعة‎‎)or "Metaphysics".[4] He also writes periodical articles for journals and web-based magazines such as El Destoor and Rewayty.[5] His writing style has appealed to both Egyptian and broader Arabic-speaking audiences, gaining him popularity in Egypt and the Middle East[5]

His novels typically feature all Egyptian characters and are set both in Egypt and around the world.

Some of his characters are semi-autobiographical. Tawfik drawing from personal experiences in their creation; fans consider him as their "godfather" and identify him most closely with Refaat Ismael who featured in the Ma Waraa Al Tabiaa series.[5]

Characters

Refaat Ismael

Main article: Refaat Ismael

Refaat Ismael is the main character of Ma Waraa Al Tabiaa. He is a retired doctor who leads a life full of paranormal experiences. He is a bachelor and is known for his sarcastic attitude. Refaat is widely loved by the rewayat fans. Many of them, in fact, refer to Ahmed Khaled himself as Refaat Ismail due to the many noticeable similarities between the two men.

Alaa abdel Azeem

Alaa abdel Azeem is the main character of Safari. He is a young Egyptian physician who works for "Safari", a fictitious medical association with branches in several countries in Africa whose raison d'etre is to "hunt down" diseases like animals are hunted in actual safari trips. Azeem is married to his Canadian partner, Dr. Bernadette Jones, who works in pediatrics. He has some characteristics that differentiate him from Refaat Ismael. To wit, he is a little nervous, and not the greatest physician in the world. He is, however, a quick study and picks things up fast. He also enjoys surgery very much.

Abeer abdel Rahman

Abeer abdel Rahman is the main character of the "Fantazia" series. She is a simple Egyptian housewife who is neither smart nor beautiful, but she is well read in almost every field. She marries a handsome computer programmer called Sherif who has invented DG-2 (Dream Generator 2), a high tech device that can materialize pre-existing human knowledge in the form of dreams. Through this device, Abeer has the chance to participate in any story she knows and live with any character (e.g. Superman, Batman, Adham Sabri). Abeer finds out that Sherif is secretly having an affair with a colleague from work, so she divorces him.

Works

See also

References

  1. ↑ "BQFP signs up Ahmed Khaled Taufiq's dystopian novel 'utopia'". The Tanjara. 10 July 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Byrnes, Sholto (September 17, 2011). "Utopia, By Ahmed Khaled Towfik". Independent. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 Yaqoob, Tahira (March 16, 2012). "Ahmed Khaled Towfik, Egypt's doctor of escapism". Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Ahmed Khaled Tawfik / Abu Dhabi International Book Fair". Retrieved 2011-02-13.
  5. 1 2 3 "Dr. Ahmed Khaled Tawfik Author Page". Retrieved 2011-02-13.

External links

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