Cairo Journal
Sta.—Desmond Stewart (May 21) makes Egyptians look somewhat ludicrous by claiming that their largest publishing concern is called 'House of Nationalism'—a literal translation of Dar al Qowttaiah, the incorrect Arabic name he givei it. The correct name, of course, is Al-Dar al-Misriyya Ill-Taleef wal-Tarjama (literally, The Egyptian House for Authorship and Translation). Mr. Stewart may have been confusing this with Al-Masrah al-Qawmi, the Egyptian 'National Theatre.' I don't think the Egyptians are as obsessed with the idea of (Arab) nationalism as your correspondent seems to want us to believe.
45 Bialik Street, Ramat Gan, Israel
NISSIM ROWAN
[Mr. Desmond Stewart writes: 'Mr. Rejwan's letter confirms that a settler-state makes a poor observation-post. Since the creation of the United Arab Republic in 1951: the adjective "Egyptian" (MisriI, has been significantly underplayed: the "in" epithets are Arab ('a•abi), National or nationalist (qowmi) and since 1961 socialist (ishteraki). The pre-revolutionary "Egyptian House for Authorship and Translation" was quite a different body from Al-Dar al-Qowmiah (there are four more words to its full title, lit tiba'alt wa nashr. "for printing and publication"), the target of Dr. Awad's attacks on May 7 and 14. (The earlier body may have been swallowed by the Leviathan I named.) The slogan of Al-Dar al-Qowmiah has long been: "A book Every Six Hours!" Besides publishing many series of cheaply priced books. (Novels of the World, We Chose For You, East and West, etc.), this "National Publications House" (my title was purposely un- official) runs a chain of bookshops and produces three weeklies (two of them in English and French) and at least three monthlies. The Chairman of its board (who replied to Dr. Awed in Al-Ahrant of May 211 is Dr. Ezeddin Ferid.'—Editor. Spectator.]
Previous page
