Etgawezni Shokran (Marry Me…Thank you); a short book by Omnia Fawzy was launched on 4 November with a book signing which took place at Diwan in Zamalek. After a 35 minute delay, the author finally arrived, greeting her (very) small audience.
“It’s a short story about the norms of society in reference to a young single woman,” said Fawzy, a jewelry designer for whom this book is a debut effort.
Her protagonist, a young woman, Ghadeer, has missed her place on the “train of marriage,” as many Egyptians like to describe it. She is pushed by her controlling mother to start contemplating an arranged marriage.
“I was extremely influenced by Ghada Abdel Aal’s Ayza Atgawez, especially her spontaneous and humorous style,” stated the writer.
Another motivation, the faltering economy, pushed the jewelry designer to use her free time to start writing.
“I played on the importance of marriage and the status of single women in our society,” added the artist.
Fawzy wanted to highlight the tough times a young single woman goes through until she finds a partner and get accepted into the “heaven of blessed married women.”
“These kinds of topics attract readers and touch on sensitive soft spots within them,” explained the author.
Like, Abdel Aal’s work, the book is partially an autobiography and partially the memoirs of friends and acquaintances.
The lesson from this book seems to be that marriage is like a watermelon–no one knows what’s inside until you buy it and open it up.
“I present the readers with a story and they interpret it the way they want to,” said Fawzy.
As for the business side of writing and publishing a book, Fawzy said that it was the hardest thing she’s undertaken in her life. She was taken advantage of by the designer of her book cover who convinced her to publish and distribute the book herself without the use of a publishing house. “Being a beginner, I did not know whether I was taking the right decision. It, of course, back fired.”
That aside, however, the new writer hopes that all her readers enjoy her first–but hopefully not her last–creation.
The book is available at Diwan.
