Mohammad Rabie

(Egypt, 1978) won the first prize in the Emerging Writers category of the Sawiris Cultural Award for his debut novel Kawkab Anbar (Amber Planet, 2010). In 2012 he published the novel Year of the Dragon. His latest nove Otared (2015) is situated in near-future Cairo. The titular character - a police officer and sniper - embarks on a new career when he joins the underground resistance after his country is invaded by foreign mercenaries. The New York Times wrote: 'More than just a portrait of a bleak future, this novel is of course a trenchant critique of modern Egypt.'