Young Egyptian-Italian author writes about Palestinian struggle
Egypt-Palestine, Culture, 2/8/2003

In honor of the year of Palestine, young Egyptian -Italian author, Randa Ghazy, was invited to speak at the American University in Cairo about her novel, Sognando Palasitna or Dreaming Palestine, which became a best seller in Italy.

The event was organized by the Faculty for Palestine, an organization comprised - of faculty, staff and students of the AUC.

In her attempt to present the Palestinian and Arab side of Palestinian-Israeli conflict that is often overlooked in Europe, the 15 year-old author wrote her first novel about the Palestinian struggle. It became- a bestseller in Italy.

"I wrote the book to show the Palestinian side, and to express the voice that must reach Europeans who do not know why Palestinians are fighting," said Ghazy. Ghazy said that the novel was inspired by the assassination of Muhammad E1 Dorra, a scene she saw on television.

"After seeing the assassination of El Dorra, I suddenly understood that there is something happening-in another part of the world and I didn't know anything about it," Ghazy said.

I felt ashamed, and after this day, I thought a lot and understood I had to do something."

"The best way to express myself was in writing," Ghazy said. So she wrote a short story about the Palestinian struggle for which she said she had to do a lot of research on Palestine using the Internet.

Ghazy wanted to publish her short story, but when she went to the publisher, she was asked to turn her short story into a longer novel.

The publisher gave her only two weeks to do so. At first, she thought it was impossible. However, she decided to take on the job of writing the novel.

"The short time helped me write without thinking, without being rational," Ghazy said. "I wrote emotionally.

According to Ferial Ghazoul, professor of English and Comparative Literature at the AUC, Ghazy is a creative writer who belongs to a group of Arab hybrid writers in a language other than Arabic.

Ghazy wrote her novel in Italian, and it was translated into French and German. Miriam Rizkallah translated Ghazy's novel from French into the Arabic, Halem be-Falastine.

The book was very heart-felt and passionate, Randa Ghazy.

Reactions to the book varied from arousing support to Stirring up controversy. Some Jewish groups in Italy thought the book was "anti-Semitic."

ÊÊÊ In response to accusation of being anti-Semitic, Ghazy said, "I am against the government of Sharon but not against the Israeli people and I am not anti Semitic."

ÊÊÊ According to Ghazy, Jewish groups were angered because Ghazy presented only one side -- the Palestinian point of view. All the characters in the novel are Palestinian except for one Israeli girl who falls in love with a Palestinian boy.

ÊÊÊ "In Europe, everyone knows about the Holocaust but they don't know about Palestinians; they just think that Palestinians are part of the Arabic people a big block that is different from European people," Ghazy said.

Ghazy said that the Jewish groups were also angry because she spoke of Israelis and Jews as the same group Something, which the Jewish groups disagree with.

In addition, Jewish groups said that the Picture of Israeli soldiers in the novel is cruel, whereas Israeli soldiers, from their point of view as Ghazy narrated are "normal guys doing their duty."

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