A Journey Beyond Identity: Sulfur Editions Launches the English Translation of Ibrahim Abdel Meguid’s The Passerby

Sulfur Editions proudly announces the international publication of The Passerby, a remarkable new work by acclaimed Egyptian novelist Ibrahim Abdel Meguid, one of the Arab world’s most celebrated literary voices. Translated into English by Somaya Abdul Wahhab and enriched with original artworks by Ghadah Kamal Ahmed, this edition introduces global readers to a profound exploration of identity, selfhood, and the human quest for authenticity.

Widely recognized as one of the leading figures of contemporary Arabic literature, Ibrahim Abdel Meguid is the recipient of some of the Arab world’s most prestigious literary distinctions, including the Nile Award, the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature, and the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. In The Passerby, he presents a compelling narrative that transcends conventional storytelling, inviting readers into a deeply introspective journey through the complexities of personal and social identity.

At the heart of the novel lies the story of Lamyaa, a character caught in the painful distance between the identity imposed by society and the truth experienced within. Through a nuanced and psychologically rich narrative, Abdel Meguid examines the tensions between name and essence, appearance and reality, belonging and alienation. The novel unfolds as a meditation on self-discovery, revealing the emotional and existential struggles that arise when one’s inner voice refuses to conform to externally assigned definitions.

Written with the author’s characteristic philosophical depth and lyrical precision, The Passerby explores themes of transformation, displacement, and personal liberation. The recurring motif of the voice becomes a powerful symbol of resistance and self-assertion, expressing what cannot be contained by social conventions or cultural expectations.

This distinguished English-language edition is brought to life through the sensitive and elegant translation of Somaya Abdul Wahhab, whose work preserves the novel’s emotional intensity and literary sophistication while making it accessible to a broader international audience. Complementing the text are the evocative artworks of Ghadah Kamal Ahmed, whose surreal and expressive visual interpretations create a dynamic dialogue with the narrative, enhancing its exploration of fragmentation, memory, and renewal.

More than a translation, this publication represents a significant cultural bridge between Arabic literature and world readership. As readers encounter The Passerby, they are invited to engage with one of the most thought-provoking voices in contemporary Egyptian fiction and to reflect on universal questions of identity, belonging, and the enduring search for the self.

With this landmark publication, Sulfur Editions reaffirms its commitment to bringing exceptional literary works across linguistic and cultural boundaries, ensuring that powerful stories continue to inspire conversations across the world.

This version adopts the tone and structure of an international literary press release while avoiding overly promotional language and emphasizing the novel’s literary significance.

Experience the work of one of the Arab world’s most influential living writers. THE PASSERBY is now available across all major global bookstores and digital platforms.

Some of the Global Retailers and bookstores :

Amazon USA

https://www.amazon.com/Passer…/dp/B0GSSGTTTY/ref=sr_1_8…

Barnes & Noble bookstores :

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/…/the…/1149695091…

Amazon UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pass…/dp/B0GSSGTTTY/ref=sr_1_1…

Black Wells stores

patogupirkti/ Italy

https://www.patogupirkti.lt/…/the-passerby…

Germany Hugendubel

https://www.hugendubel.de/…/ibrahim_abdel_meguid-the…

Amazon Canada

https://www.amazon.ca/Passerb…/dp/B0GSSGTTTY/ref=sr_1_1…

Amazon Germany

https://www.amazon.de/s…

Saxo Denmark

Amazon France

https://www.amazon.fr/…/Ibr…/dp/B0GSSGTTTY/ref=sr_1_1…

Amazon India

https://www.amazon.in/Passerb…/dp/B0GSSGTTTY/ref=sr_1_1…

bookshop /globally

https://bookshop.org/…/the-passerby…/49d82fd6657280ae…

orellfuessli Germany

Amazon Netherlands

https://www.amazon.nl/…/Ibr…/dp/B0GSSGTTTY/ref=sr_1_1…

Morawa

Amazon Belgium

https://www.amazon.com.be/…/dp/B0GSSGTTTY/ref=sr_1_1…

Amazon Brazil

https://www.amazon.com.br/Pas…/dp/B0GSSGTTTY/ref=sr_1_1…

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Digital Platforms: Download the e-book now

Apple Books

Bookshop/ E Book

https://bookshop.org/…/the-passerby…/49d82fd6657280ae…

Everand

Fable

Smashwords

Thalia

lafeltrinelli.italy

Vivlio

Librerías Gandh

Decitre (Furet du Nord) France

https://www.decitre.fr/…/the-passerby-9798233699931…

Links to specific sales outlets will be published next week

@followers

Ibrahim Abdel Meguid

Born in Alexandria, Ibrahim Abdel Meguid graduated from the Faculty of Arts, Department of Philosophy, Alexandria University. He has lived in Cairo since 1975. He wrote and published his short stories in prominent Arab literary magazines such as Al-Hilal, Al-Majalla, Al-Tali‘a, Al-Adab, Ibdaa, and Al-Karmel, among others. He has also written and published articles in major Egyptian and Arab newspapers and continues to do so. He has received important Egyptian and Arab awards, and some of his works have been translated into foreign languages.

He has published nineteen novels, seven short story collections, and several other books, as follows:

First: Novels

1. In the Summer of ’67

2. Night of Love and Blood

3. Distances – translated into English

4. The Hunter and the Doves – adapted into a film titled The Dove Hunter, starring Ashraf Abdel Baky

5. The Jasmine House – translated into French, Italian, and English

6. The Other Town – translated into French, English, and German

7. Jellyfish – adapted into a television series starring Athar El-Hakim and Mahmoud Kabil

8. No One Sleeps in Alexandria – adapted into a television series starring Maged El-Masry, Madeleine Tabar, and Soheir El-Morshedy; translated into French, English, and Spanish

9. Amber Birds – translated into English

10. Virgo Tower

11. Thresholds of Joy – translated into French and Greek

12. Castle Honey

13. Every Week Has a Friday – translated into German

14. Alexandria in a Cloud – translated into English; thus the entire Alexandria Trilogy has been translated into English

15. Here Is Cairo

16. Adagio – translated into English and French

17. Cats of the Past Year

18. Before I Forget That I Was Here

19. The Cyclops

20. The Trilogy of Escaping Memory

21. Cairo of Today, Lost

22. 32 December

The Alexandria Trilogy consists of:

No One Sleeps in Alexandria – Amber Birds – Alexandria in a Cloud

Second: Short Story Collections

1. Small Scenes Around a Big Wall

2. The Tree and the Birds

3. Closing the Windows

4. Spaces (Selected Stories)

5. Old Ships

6. Angela’s Night

(All of the above are now collected in one volume titled Trees of Mirage)

7. Stories of the Iftar Hour

Third: Other Books

1. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave – translated from English

2. 24 Hours Before the War – a play

3. Where Do the Ocean Birds Go? – travel literature

4. Beyond Ruin – essays on religion, the Other, identity, renaissance, and heritage

5. Saturday Passed and Sunday Passed – essays

6. Days of Tahrir – memoir of the January Revolution

7. Who Creates Crises in Egypt? – essays

8. Beyond Writing – My Experience in Creativity

9. The Boy Who Loved the Rain – essays

10. Letters from Egypt – translation of Lucy Duff Gordon

Awards

1. First Prize in Short Story – Alexandria Story Club (1969)

2. Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature for The Other Town – The American University in Cairo (1996)

3. State Award for Excellence in Literature (2004)

4. State Merit Award in Literature (2008)

5. Sawiris Prize for Best Senior Novelist (2011) for Every Week Has a Friday

6. Katara Prize (2015) for Adagio

7. Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Literature (2016) for Beyond Writing – My Experience in Creativity

8. Nile Award in Literature (2022)