The Power of Literature and Free Expression in the Middle East: A Conversation with Ahmed Naji

Ahmed Naji is an Egyptian journalist and novelist who uses fact and fiction to examine and relay stories of the human struggle, informed and shaped by his life experiences in Egypt and in the United States. After the publication of his novel, Using Life (2014), Naji was jailed in Egypt for “violating public decency.” After nearly a year in prison, he moved to the United States. His most recent novel, Rotten Evidence (2023), chronicles his jail experience. He is the winner of many honors and awards including the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award. In conversation with Prof. Tarek El-Ariss, the James Wright Professor and Chair of Middle Eastern Studies at Dartmouth, Naji will share stories from his incarceration and trial, reflecting on the power of literature and free expression in the face of censorship and exile.