The will to horizon

Georges Henein’s “La volonté d’horizon: littérature, art et politique 50 ans après ” takes place over two days at Villa Medici and Istituto per l’Oriente Carlo Alfonso Nallino.

This colloquium aims to discuss unexplored aspects of the subversive work of Egyptian surrealist journalist, writer and poet Georges Henein (1914-1973), with contributions from international contributors involved in the rediscovery and circulation of his literary productions. Between July 17 and 18, 1973, Georges Henein died in Paris, bringing to a close the most significant phase of surrealism in Egypt. Above all a cosmopolitan, deeply Egyptian and a weaver of exchanges between the two shores of the Mediterranean, Georges Henein was an author whose activities and writings, some of which are still unpublished, left their mark on the Egyptian cultural world from the 1930s onwards. His many commitments were important for the development of the avant-garde in Egypt, as well as for the internationalist opening and revival of Surrealism in its second phase. However, he remains a little-known intellectual in many respects. This symposium aims to study his work, looking at stylistic issues, art criticism, literary networks with contemporary poets and the echoes of Georges Henein’s influence in the French, Arab, Iranian and Romanian contexts.

Partners

Zaman, Books and Curating

Istituto per l’oriente C.A Nallino