Nihad Sherif

Nihad Sherif (1932-2011) was an Egyptian writer born in Alexandria. He graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University and worked for many years in the Egyptian press. Regarded as one of the pioneers of science fiction literature in the Arab world, Sherif published several notable novels in this genre, including The Conqueror of Time (1972), Number 4 Orders You (1974), Inhabitants of the Second World (1977), Olive Diamonds (1979), and He Who Defied the Hurricane (1981). His last novel, Son of the Stars, was published in 2008. In 2019, Al-Karma republished his iconic novel The Conqueror of Time.

Lina Mounzer is a Lebanese writer and translator. She has been a contributor to many prominent publications including the Paris Review, Freeman’s, Washington Post, and The Baffler, as well as in the anthologies Tales of Two Planets (Penguin 2020), and Best American Essays 2022 (Harper Collins 2022). She is Senior Editor at The Markaz Review.