The writings of Nawal El Saadawi are essential to anyone wishing to understand the contemporary Arab world. Her dissident voice has stayed as consistent in its critique of neo.imperialist international politics as it has in its denunciation of women's oppression, both in her native Egypt and in the wider world.Saadawi is a figure of international significance, and her work has a central place in Arabic history and culture of the last half century. Featuring work never before translated into English, The Essential Nawal El Saadawi gathers together a wide range of Saadawi's writing. From novellas and short stories to essays on politics, culture, religion and sex; from extensive interviews to her work as a dramatist; from poetry to autobiography, this book is essential for anyone wishing to gain a sense of the breadth of Saadawi's work.

Acknowledgements Preface - Nawal El Saadawi Timeline Introduction - Adele Newson-Horst Part I: Articles/Essays/Non-fictional Prose 1. How to Write and Why 2. How to Fight Against the Postmodern Slave System 3. First Trip Outside the Homeland 4. Introduction to The Hidden Face of Eve 5. The Seventh International AWSA Conference 6. Women and the Poor 7. God Above, Husband Below 8. The House of Desolation 9. The Streetwalker and the Woman Writer 10. Muslim Women in the Market 11. Bodour 12. Writing and Freedom 13. The Three Universal Taboos: Sex, Religion, and Politics 14. Breeding Terror or an Uncivilized Clash of Civilizations 15. Breeding Terror or an Uncivilized Clash of Civilizations 16. Fear and Writing 17. Obama's Speech in Cairo Part II: Fiction and Poetry 18. Death of an Ex-Minister 19. My Ideal Mother 20. A Paper that was Never Presented for Publication 21. Sixteen Short Poems 22. Inspired by the Summit Meeting with the Elite 23. The Impact of Fanatic Religious Thought Part III: Drama 24. Twelve Women in a Cell Part IV: Interviews and Criticism 25. Feminism in Egypt: A Conversation with Nawal El Saadawi 26. Fed Up with Limited Thinking: An Interview 27. Conversations with Nawal El Saadawi 28. Nawal El Saadawi's Fall of the Imam: The Daughter of the Goddess of the Land Fells the Imam and Rises Again Part V: Bibliographies 29. Bibliography of Book Length Works 30. Bibliography of Interviews 31. Bibliography of Criticism