Toya
Ashraf El-Ashmawi
The year is 1970. The funeral of the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser is being held. Youssef, son of famous skin specialist Kamal Naguib, is in medical college. Shortly after the death of the President, Youssef’s father also passes away, and so he goes to Liverpool, the birth place of his English mother, to continue his medical studies. His mother wants him to marry Katherine, an aristocratic English girl, and remain in England but he travels to Kenya to do research into treatments for leprosy. While living there he meets Toya, a woman belonging to the Kikuyu tribe. The author of Toya, Ashraf El-Ashmawy, describes a gentle love story between two people who belong to completely different worlds and makes us ask questions about the true nature of identity, belonging and loyalty and the extent of humanity's need for these principles.
Nomination
2013 Longlist
Ashraf El-Ashmawi
Country of origin Egypt
About the author
Ashraf El-Ashmawi is a judge in the Egyptian court of appeal and a former examining magistrate in the department of the public prosecutor, where he worked for seventeen years. Seven years ago, he was seconded as legal advisor to the Ministry of Antiquities, advising on bilateral international agreements and the return of antiquities smuggled out of the country.