Egyptian author and novelist Mohamed Selimawy, honored as the Cultural Personality of the Year at the Sharjah International Book Fair, stated that this award represents the culmination of a long journey in the service of literature, thought, and culture. He expressed his happiness that this recognition came from the emirate of Sharjah, which he described as "a beacon of Arab culture" thanks to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who has made culture a way of life and a means of preserving Arab identity in an era of challenges.
This was stated during a dialogue session titled "Mohamed Selimawy: Life and Career," moderated by media personality Mona Al-Raisi. During the session, Selimawy spoke about his journey between literature and journalism, noting that his studies in English literature were a means to understand that a literary structure does not build a specific culture. He added that his transition to journalism came after his meeting with the late Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, who opened up to him the horizon of combining thought and reality.
He explained that "the word is the weapon of both the writer and the journalist, but the former stems from contemplation while the latter from the moment of the event." Selimawy also discussed the transformations of journalism in the digital media age, affirming that the internet has given truth a wider voice, especially in just causes like the Palestinian cause. Furthermore, he addressed the relationship between literature and prediction, clarifying that a writer does not predict intentionally but rather foresees the future through their awareness of life, citing works of science fiction that preceded real-world discoveries.
