Ezzedine Choukri Fishere is an Egyptian writer, academic and diplomat.
Since 1995, he published five novels; Maqtal Fakhredine (The Killing of Fakhredine) in 1995, Asfar Alfaraeen (Pharaonic Journeys) in 1999, Ghurfat al-enaya al-morrakaza (Intensive Care Unit) in 2008, Abu-Omar El-Masry in 2010, and Enak enda Gesr Brooklyn (Embrace by Brooklyn Bridge) in 2011. His novels are often described as a critique of Egypt’s political and social realities, although he maintains that they are about the ‘human condition’. Fishere’s first two novels were published ‘very quietly’ because their dire criticism of Egyptian security services and regime clashed with his diplomatic work. But since he quit diplomacy in 2007 and ‘came out’ as a novelist, his subsequent three novels received wide publicity and were acclaimed both by critics and the public. All five novels were reprinted several times. ‘Intensive Care Unit’ and ‘Embrace by Brooklyn Bridge’ were long-listed for the Arabic Booker Prize in 2009 and 2012 respectively.
Fishere was born in 1966 in Kuwait to Egyptian parents who moved back to Egypt when he was two and settled in Mansura, then a quiet town in the Nile delta. He attended state schools there and, at the age of 17, moved to Cairo to study political science at Cairo University. Graduated in 1987, Fishere then worked briefly as researcher in Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies, served the compulsory 15-months military service, and published a number of articles and studies in the Egyptian review of international politics (Al-Siassa Al-Dawlia). In 1989 he joined the diplomatic service. A year later he left Egypt for the French École nationale d’administration (ENA) in Paris where he studied for 15 months and earned his first graduate degree (1992).
After few months in Cairo, Fishere left the Foreign Service again -for five years this time- to study in Canada. He lived between Ottawa and Montreal where he studied and worked as a teaching assistant in its two main universities. Fishere obtained an MA in International Relations from the University of Ottawa on his thesis about the concept of world hegemony and its relevance in understanding international cooperation and regulation (1995), and a Ph.D. in Political Science from l’université de Montréal on his dissertation about modernity and global governance (1998).
Back to Cairo, Fishere worked at the Egyptian Diplomatic Institute for two years then was posted to the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv as the head of its political section. After two years in Tel Aviv, Fishere moved to the office of the United Nations Envoy for the Middle East in Jerusalem. Amidst negotiation and widespread violence, Fishere worked between Israel, the Palestinian territories and the region. In August 2004 he left Historic Palestine to join the advance mission of the UN in Sudan and worked as focal point for the ‘peace’ negotiations in Darfur. In March 2005 he was pulled out of Sudan to serve as political advisor to the UN Fact-Finding mission in the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri. He returned to Sudan as soon as the mission submitted its report in April. In August 2005, Fishere moved back to Cairo and worked as a counselor to the Egyptian Foreign Minister until, in August 2007, he took an extended leave from diplomacy and focused on writing, research and teaching. He published ‘Intensive Care Unit’, worked for ‘International Crisis Group’ for a year, and, as of August 2008, started full-time teaching at the American University in Cairo where he is now a visiting associate professor.
In addition to teaching international relations theory and Middle East politics, Ezzedine Choukri Fishere writes opinion editorials, both in the Arab and international press. He delivered keynote speeches and made presentations in numerous conferences around the world. But since the Egyptian revolution started in January 2011, he reduced his international engagement and has been focusing on Egyptian politics. In April, the ‘Transitional Government’ appointed Fishere as Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Culture. Four months later he resigned, preferring to devote his energy to writing, research and teaching.
Ezzedine Choukri Fishere is married and has a daughter and two sons.