Michael Maurice Prince

Michael Maurice Prince (Arabic: مايكل موريس برنس; born March 29, 1984), sometimes referred to only as Michael Prince or M. M. Prince (as he always signs his works), is an Egyptian writer. Born to a pious Coptic family in the Upper Egyptian town of Naga Hammadi, and studied medicine at Assiut University for seven years, Michael became deeply immersed and experienced in Upper Egyptian town atmosphere and life-style, and the Coptic cultural and religious heritage. He is well-read both in Arabic and English, and is considering writing in English as he has written in his blog.^[1] His only published work (a novel: Assiut Citystan أسيوط سيتي ستان^[2][3]) exhibits his influence by the classics, but also compiles elements both of literary realism and modernism. He has also published one short story Al-Fitna (The Strife) in Akhbar al-Adab,^[4] an Egyptian literary magazine on August 13, 2010.^[5]

Asir al-Kotob Interview

On July 17, 2011, Prince was interviewed in the book-based TV show Asir al-Kotob (Books' Juice) by the author Belal Fadl.^[6] On being asked whether he preferred to be considered as a Coptic voice, he said he objected to being classified as Coptic writer or intellectual, citing the cases of Graham Greene and some contemporary Jewish American writers. He stated that Assiut Citystan might be considered as a Coptic novel dealing with issues pertinent to the Copts' life and struggle in Egypt, but not necessarily the author. When was asked if he thought that the Muslim Brotherhood were more "open-minded" than other religious political powers in Egypt, he robustly disagreed and said "This is never the standard." He expressed his view that being "more open-minded" than others would not do; for instance, "Salafi Muslims were more open-minded than Al-Qaeda." He iterated the need for "a new public culture based on respect of the constitution and the law" to counter the religious fundamentalism and the persecution of Copts in Egypt. At the end of the show, the host expressed his concern that the novel might attract attention from fundamentalists as a result of its trenchant critique of society, particularly its religious aspect. Michael answered that, should that happen, he would see to it as wisely as he could.^[7]

Current Status

Michael works now as a psychiatric resident and lives in Cairo. His first novel, Assiut Citystan, has been listed for the Arabic Booker Prize.^[8][9] His second work planned for publication is a novel (Sonquor’s Crime جريمة سنقر^[10][11]), in which he experiments with the vernacular.

External links

• The Emissary (M. M. Prince's English blog)
• العودة للشيء الذي كنت قد تركته (M. M. Prince's Arabic blog)

References

1. ^ The Emissary
2. ^ بوابة الأفق للمعلومات
3. ^ Nwf.com: أسيوط سيتي ستان: مايكل برنس: كتب
4. ^ الصفحة الرئيسية
5. ^ الفتنة
6. ^ ‫عصير الكتب بلال فضل لقاء مع الروائي الرائع مايكل برنس مؤلف رواية اسيوط سيتي ستان ج1 حلقة 17 07 2011 00‬‎ - YouTube
7. ^ ‫عصير الكتب بلال فضل لقاء مع الروائي الرائع مايكل برنس مؤلف رواية اسيوط سيتي ستان ج2 حلقة 17 07 2011 00‬‎ - YouTube
8. ^ مصرس : «قلب جهنم» و«بيوت بيضاء» و«زمن الضباع» أبرز الروايات المرشحة ل«البوكر»
9. ^ دار أكتب ترشح ثلاث روايات للبوكر العربية
10. ^ قائمة إصدارات معرض الكتاب 2011
11. ^ النهار - يومية إلكترونية مصرية

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Name	Prince, Michael Maurice
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Date of birth	March 29, 1984
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