Mohamed Mansi Qandil

Who is Mohamed Mansi Qandil?

Mohamed Mansi Qandil is an Egyptian novelist and author. He was born in the city of al-Mahalla al-Kubra in the Nile delta. His father was a simple labourer. Qandil went to medical school and worked as a country doctor before turning to writing as a full-time profession. He lived in Kuwait for several years, where he was an editor at the monthly magazine Al-Arabi. He now lives in Canada.

Qandil's first novel was called Breaking of the Spirit and dealt with the subject of workers' unrest in the delta region. Another novel Moon Over Samarqand was inspired by a conversation with a taxi driver he had met in Uzbekistan. This novel won the Sawiris Foundation Award in 2006. An English translation of Moon over Samarqand by Jennifer Peterson has been published by AUC Press. His 2010 novel A Cloudy Day on the West Side was shortlisted for the Arabic Booker Prize. Apart from novels, Qandil has also published short story collections and children’s books.

Qandil won the Egyptian State Incentive Award in 1988.