{{short description|Egyptian writer}} '''Nael Eltoukhy''' (born 1978) is an Egyptian author, columnist and translator. Eltoukhy has published two novellas and three novels in Arabic, including ''Al Alfen wa seta'' (''Two Thousand and Six'', 2009) and ''Nisaa Al Karantina'' (''Women of Karantina'', 2013,) which Mahmoud El-Wardani called "a new twist in the evolution of the form of the Egyptian novel itself."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-05-26 |title=Book review: The secret world of Alexandria |url=https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/18/62/72333/Books/Review/Book-review-The-secret-world-of-Alexandria.aspx |website=Ahram Online}}</ref> The latter has been translated into English by Robin Moger,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Porter |date=2023-01-12 |title=Translators Moger, Davies Win England's Banipal Prize |url=https://publishingperspectives.com/2023/01/translators-moger-davies-win-englands-banipal-prize/ |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=Publishing Perspectives |language=en-US}}</ref> who also translated an extract of Eltoukhy's third novel, ''Out of the Gutter'' (2018).<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Everybody Knows |url=https://www.thewhitereview.org/fiction/what-everybody-knows/ |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=The White Review |language=en-US}}</ref> Eltoukhy has also translated two books from Hebrew to Arabic, while his columns and short stories have appeared in the New York Times,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eltoukhy |first=Nael |date=2017-06-08 |title=The Arab Epics of 1967 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/08/opinion/arab-israel-war-1967-egypt.html}}</ref> Mada Masr,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contributor - Nael Eltoukhy |url=https://www.madamasr.com/ar/contributor/نائل-الطوخي/ |website=Mada Masr}}</ref> Al-Safir,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nael Eltoukhy |url=http://arabi.assafir.com/Channel.aspx?ChannelID=25&AuthorID=327&AuthorPage=1&LangID=1025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207065510/http://arabi.assafir.com/Channel.aspx?ChannelID=25&AuthorID=327&AuthorPage=1&LangID=1025 |archive-date=2018-02-07 |website=Al-Safir}}</ref> among others.
== Early life and education == Eltoukhy was born in Kuwait, and studied Hebrew at Ain Shams University.
== Translations of Hebrew == Eltoukhy's passion for Hebrew is “rare” by his own admission, among students of the language in Arab universities.<ref name=":0" /> He was curious about Hebrew because he felt Arabs didn't know anything about Israel from the inside.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2012-12-29 |title=Nael El Toukhy: a post-modern novelist’s eye on Egypt |url=https://radioopensource.org/nael-el-toukhy-a-post-modern-novelists-eye-on-egypt/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=Radio Open Source |language=en-US}}</ref> However, earlier on Eltoukhy had wanted to study English, but his grades were not high enough, so he chose to study Hebrew instead.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2016-03-03 |title=An Interview with Translator/Novelist Nael ElToukhy |url=https://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog/2016/03/03/an-interview-with-translatornovelist-nael-eltoukhy/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=Asymptote |language=en}}</ref>
Eltoukhy went on to translate provocative Israeli authors, such as late playwright Hanoch Levin, who Eltoukhy mentions as his dream,<ref name=":1" /> as well as Idith Zertal’s ''Israel’s Holocaust and the Politics of Nationhood'', and Almog Behar's ''Chahla ve-Hezkel'' (Rachel and Ezekiel).<ref>{{Cite web |title=ALMOG BEHAR Poetry is Guilty (translation by Shoshana Olidort) |url=https://www.poetrynw.org/almog-behar-poetry-is-guilty-translation-by-shoshana-olidort/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=www.poetrynw.org}}</ref>
According to Eltoukhy, it is easy to publish Hebrew to Arabic translations in Egypt, however the problem lies with publishers not wanting to pay royalties to an Israeli publisher as it would be seen as a form of normalization.<ref name=":0" /> Therefore, he has worked with younger authors that are willing to give up their royalties to circumvent the politics.<ref name=":0" />
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links==
[https://naelaltoukhy.blogspot.com/?m=1 Nael Eltoukhy personal blog] (includes an archive of published articles)
[https://hkzathdthcohen.blogspot.com/?m=1 Hakaza tahadath Cohen (Thus spoke Cohen)], Collection of writings translated from Hebrew to Arabic. Mada Masr - contributions in [https://www.madamasr.com/en/contributor/nael-el-toukhy/ English] and [https://www.madamasr.com/ar/contributor/نائل-الطوخي/ Arabic]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Toukhy, Nael}} Category:21st-century Egyptian novelists Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:Date of birth missing (living people) Category:Ain Shams University alumni Category:Egyptian male writers
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