thesilkroadtoday
Literary event to mark the publication of the novel in Azerbaijani, with representatives of the Egyptian Embassy expected to be invited
Baku – October , 2026
The Azerbaijani Writers’ Union will host a presentation ceremony for *Shamaus*, a novel by Egyptian writer and novelist Dr. Ashraf Aboul-Yazid, known in literary circles as Ashraf Dali, in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. The event will celebrate the publication of the novel in Azerbaijani, marking a new step toward strengthening literary and cultural exchange between Egypt and Azerbaijan.
Representatives of the Egyptian Embassy in Azerbaijan are expected to be invited to the ceremony, giving the occasion a cultural and diplomatic dimension and underscoring the importance of literary translation in broadening dialogue between peoples and introducing readers to creative works rooted in different cultural traditions.
On September 29, the website *The Silk Road Today* published an article about the Azerbaijani edition, highlighting the journey of the novel from Arabic into a new language and its introduction to Azerbaijani readers. The publication forms part of the growing literary exchange between the two countries.
The novel was translated directly from Arabic into Azerbaijani by Azerbaijani writer and translator Terane Memmed, who had previously translated Aboul-Yazid’s book *A Street in Cairo*. Writer and literary researcher Adile Nezer edited the book and wrote its foreword, while the project was initiated by literary critic Asad Jahangir, head of the Center for Artistic Translation and Literary Relations at the Azerbaijani Writers’ Union.
Originally published in Arabic by Ain Publishing House in Cairo in 2008, Shamawes ,*Shamaus* explores the relationship between people and place, as well as the social transformations that shape Egyptian life. Set in a village bearing the novel’s title, the work draws on the symbolism of light, memory, and original innocence to examine the changes affecting the environment and human relationships under the pressure of economic and social transformation.
The novel also reflects key features of Aboul-Yazid’s literary project, which encompasses fiction, poetry, travel writing, and translation. He has devoted particular attention to fostering intercultural communication through the written word. His works have appeared in several languages as part of a broader cultural vision that views translation as a means of rediscovering literature within new linguistic and cultural contexts.
The forthcoming Baku ceremony is significant not merely because it adds another title to the body of translated literature, but also because it introduces Azerbaijani readers to contemporary Egyptian fiction and creates further opportunities for interaction between writers and readers in the two countries. The event also builds on literary relations shaped by translation, criticism, and institutional cooperation, enabling creative works to cross borders while retaining their cultural distinctiveness.
The upcoming presentation in Baku will provide a new milestone in the novel’s literary journey. As an Egyptian work meets its readers in another language, it reaffirms the power of literature to serve as a bridge of human understanding and to strengthen cultural friendship among nations. When a literary work is translated with fidelity and creative sensitivity, it can transcend linguistic boundaries and open new horizons for dialogue between cultures.
