Egyptian publisher and writer…a story of injustice and theft | Opinion

A long time ago, Dr. Taha Hussein wrote a letter to the ancient “Dar Al-Ma’arif” in which he thanked the administrator of this house, a “Shwam” intellectual of the last century Founded in Egypt. interested in publishing his work and requested a “financial advance” from the company to enable him to meet his needs, including the cost of his annual trips to France.

In the series “Zeinab and the Throne”, based on the novel by “Fadi Ghanem”, the relationship between publisher and author appears, and it is a complicated one. The publisher holds a “publishing contract” in his hand, the reporter sits at the self-esteem meeting, and the competition in the relationship is clear, but it is all over.

The time has come for writers to be “poor” and beg for publication in two government agencies under the jurisdiction of Egypt’s Ministry of Culture: the General Directorate of Books and the Palace of Culture. Because being published in it means receiving a sum of money, which poor authors—and most creators and authors are poor—can use to meet the needs of daily life: food, clothing, and clothing.

“Corruption” becomes the chain issued by controlling two institutions, and if a poet or novelist has a relationship with the “institutional chairman”, a “doctor” recognized by the “cultural authority”, his collection, novel or book can be easily published ,vice versa. correct.

ugly cover

Signs of publishing corruption at both institutions are evident in the display “windows” of their bookstores, in the form of ugly covers, poor design and printing, and trivial titles that offer readers nothing new.

Most often, they are “college theses” by “Cultural Security Service” academics who earned their degrees through twisted means of flattery, favors and gifts. Publishing this information in a book represents “prestige” for them, which increases their social and administrative influence within their university.

The Palace of Culture Administration was originally an institution with the mission of presenting culture to the public. Publishing was not one of its tasks. Its name was “Public Culture” and its concept was introduced by “Dr. Tharwat Okasha”. – A cavalry officer – from the country of “Yugoslavia” during the time of “Nasser”. And Tito”, whose appointment as Minister of Culture coincided with the mobilization of the “mass” and their side of the ruling regime in the 1950s and 1960s.

The folding of intellectuals

Farouk Hosni took the position of Minister of Culture and had the “Palace of Culture Authority” publish thousands of books every year. This is the role played by the “General Directorate of Books”. The budget for book publishing swallowed up the budget for theatre, the plastic arts and other activities, so that the process of “book publishing” became profitable for the creative staff of the “Palace of Culture Authority”, which itself became a This installation draws upon the “unemployed army” made up of creative and semi-creatives who are not good at making or crafting, the craft by which they make a living.

It was the era of “armed terrorism” against the Mubarak regime, and “Farouq Hosni” was playing this game: “If you feed your mouth, your eyes will be ashamed.” This game successfully created A group of “scribes and educated people”. Those who praise the “civilian” regime in power are not civilians but outspoken police officers.

The Minister of Culture was not satisfied with this, but made it clear in an interview with the media: “I am the only Minister of Culture who has included intellectuals in the Ministry of Culture”. In fact, it is a fattening “barn” and pretending to be “intellectuals” “Fodder for people of status.

Surprisingly, both institutions use creativity censors, so they only publish what these censors allow. This censorship forces creators who respect themselves and their creativity to resort to private publishing, where injustice is exposed and theft occurs. Private publishers ask creators for “financial contributions”. That was back in the 1990s. In the last century it was about “a thousand Egyptian pounds”, but now it has reached huge amounts.

Attachment Contracts and Fraud

The author pays for it, and the publisher prints the book and signs a compliance contract with the creator or author, which stipulates that he cannot be criticized online and is not obliged to set a specific publication date.

If the book wins a financial award, the publisher will be entitled to half of its financial value. If the book (such as a novel) is adapted into a film or series, the publisher will be entitled to a percentage of the proceeds. Writers are rewarded in terms of their work.

The term of the “contract” is not less than five years, and the creator or author commits to use his or her network of relationships and acquaintances among journalists and media workers to promote the book, but there is no mechanism for the author or creator to know that the publisher is printing Number of copies, or know who verified the profit, even though the contract stipulates: “Party B will receive a certain percentage of the profit,” and Party B does not know the number of copies printed or the actual sale.

If he dared ask a big publishing house about the profit percentage stipulated in the contract, the publisher would avoid it and simply say: “The book was not sold and there were no copies. It was in the warehouse and I lost it.” .

As the number of writers grew and the number of people hoping to claim the title of novelist and author increased, the scope for injustice and theft in the private publishing market expanded, and as Chinese industry advanced – and a new type of printing press emerged – Ten to five copies were printed – things turned into “deceit and fraud”. Financial contributions paid by the “Author” to the Publisher. The publisher pays him for a certain number of copies to be supplied and the author returns home happily, signing autographs for family and friends, and celebrating the printing of his book, of which only the set of copies he has taken with him is printed.

Some publisher – a professional thief – placed a few copies of the book, or maybe two, with a newspaper seller in downtown Cairo, where the author saw a copy of his book and imagined that his book was being Flood into the market and take over the shelves. Libraries for all villages, cities, provinces, hamlets and wastelands!

All this is happening in the Egyptian publishing market, where the wheels of publishing are still turning according to “unjust and theft” laws, the Nile is still flowing, publishers are still eating the flesh of authors, and those responsible for publishing are still eating The author’s flesh. People in the “Library Administration” and the “Palace of Culture Administration” are publishing trivial books for money, while the rats in the warehouses of the two government agencies are still devouring printed books that have no thought and add nothing. Culture, as if the two institutions are united in one goal, which is to fatten the “rats” of the country!