Remembering the influential Egyptian author and activist who defied conventions and inspired generationsNawal El Saadawi, who passed away on March 21, 2021, at the age of 89, was a trailblazing Egyptian feminist, author, doctor, and government official. Her courage and commitment to justice left a profound mark on both her contemporaries and future generations.

Journalist Mona Eltahawy recalls her first “encounter” with El Saadawi as a teenager in London, captivated by the image of a woman on TV with striking white hair and an authoritative presence. Even then, El Saadawi’s unapologetic truth-telling was powerful enough to draw criticism from men who claimed she was “ruining Egypt’s reputation.”

Later, during a difficult period of Eltahawy’s life in Saudi Arabia, El Saadawi’s books, discovered on a shelf of feminist literature, became a lifeline. Her words offered solace and strength amid the oppressive environment of misogyny and ultra-conservatism.

Eltahawy eventually met El Saadawi in person in Cairo in the early 1990s. She describes the feminist icon as electrifying and dynamic, with a philosophy rooted in simple yet profound values of justice, freedom, and love—principles passed down from El Saadawi’s grandmother.

El Saadawi’s life was marked by fierce resistance to oppression. Imprisoned by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981 for her outspoken criticism, she later went into self-imposed exile in the United States in 1993 after receiving death threats from militant Islamists. Wherever she went, she challenged societal norms and made those in power uncomfortable.

The essence of her ethos can be captured in a line from her novel Woman at Point Zero, where her protagonist declares: “I speak the truth, and the truth is savage and dangerous.” This statement encapsulates El Saadawi’s life and work—a relentless pursuit of justice that inspired others to embrace feminism as a force that is both uncompromising and transformative.