Alifa Rifaat

JUNE 5TH 1930-JANUARY 1996

YESSIE ZUNIGA INTL 3111

Personal Information
y Born June 5, 1930 in Cairo, Egypt y Married Hussien Rifaat who was a police officer y Children: Amany (daughter) - Mamdouh and Moustafa (sons) y Education: received a diploma from The Domestic Arts School

in 1946

y Religion: Muslim y Memberships: Union of Egyptian Writers, Story Club, Authors

Assembly of Egypt, Modern Literature Association, Literal Akkad Assembly, Zaky Mubarak Assembly

Career

y She was a homemaker from 1952 to 1955 and from 1960 to 1973 y A writer from 1955 to 1960 and during 1973 y She was volunteer worker for Red Crescent during 1948 and

1973
y AWARDS: Excellence Award from Modern Literature

Assembly, 1984

Life and the influences it had on her writings

y Several significant childhood experiences as well as growing up in a

traditional Arab society profoundly influenced her life and her writings enrolling in the College of Fine Arts but her father's refused uncle's son

y When she was young she wanted to receive a university education by

y Her father made her stay at home and get married to her maternal

All decisions in her family were made by men. The men taught women to be ladies in society and mistresses of the home only The arts and literature for women were a waste of time and even forbidden.

Life Continuation
y When she was nine years old she wrote a short story about

despair in her village; after she was punished because of it.

y After she published her first story her husband made her swear

to God's that she would stop publishing or else he would divorce her.
y Then Alifa actually did stop writing for about fifteen years until

her husband finally allowed her to write again because she became very ill.

Writings
y Death was one of the main subjects she would write about due to the

emotional impact of the death of a close childhood friend.

y Most of her stories, however, revolve around a woman's right to a

fully affective and complete sexual life in marriage.

y Sexual and emotional problems encountered by women in marriages

are the most important themes of her stories.

y When I married I found my sexual life unfulfilling because nobody

talked to me about the subject or taught me anything. I believe there should be more education for women, even if only through books. In my view, it is wrong to look to the West for sexual education for young people. Our society does not allow us to experience sex freely as Western women may. Alifa Rifaat

Another Evening at the Club by Alifa Rifaat

y This short story is a perfect example of how Alifa depicted

women's role in middle eastern cultures. Women are inferior and taught to resign their lives to men.

y Clues:

- Abboud Bey choose her, she did not exactly choose him - She was scared to tell About that she had found the ring - He got rid of the ring even though she wanted to keep it; he did not allow her to give any input on the situation or what they should do

Citation
y Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. From

Literature Resource Center.

y Document URL

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CH1000082951 &v=2.1&u=char69915&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w