Born in Cairo on 5 June 1930 as Fatimah Rifaat, the acclaimed feminist writer, better known by her pen name Alifa Rifaat, passed away in Egypt on 1 January 1996 at the age of 65. Today marks what would have been her 94 birthday. Rifaat garnered recognition for her feminist literature, such as Hawaa Ta’oud La Adam (Eve Returns to Adam, 1975), Man Yakoun Al Rajul (Who Can Man Be, 1981), Salat Al Hob (The Prayer of Love, 1983), Fi Layl Sheta Taweela (On a Long Winter’s Night, 1980), and Jawharat Faraoun (The Pharoah’s Jewel, 1991). Her works included sharp social critiques. Though much of Rifaat’s later work is steeped in her personal experiences, the central theme of her stories revolves around the sexual and emotional challenges women face in marriage. In contrast to Western feminism, Rifaat’s perspective on women’s rights encompasses sexual and emotional fulfillment within marriage without challenging the institution itself. Rifaat advocated for increased sexual education for women, even if only through books. Her most acclaimed English work, Manzar Baeid Le Ma’zana (Distant View of a Minaret, 1983), features fifteen short stories set in rural Egypt. One…
