In protest, novelist Mohammed Al Bisati decided to resign from his post as editor of the Literary Voices series under which the novels appeared, setting off a chain reaction inside the General Authority that saw last week the resignation of other prominent figures inside the authority, including Abdel Aziz Mawafi, Tal’at Al Shayab, Mohammed Kisheik, Magdi Tawfiq, Gamal Al Ghitani and Ibrahim Aslan, all of whom were editors of various literary series published by the cultural palaces authority. When all was said and done, only six editors of the 16 different series published by the authority remained in their positions.

An already sensitive situation became more explosive when on 13 January the London-based daily Al Hayat carried a front-page story headline declaring "They’re burning the diwan of Abu Nawas!" In the article, Gamal Al Ghitani stated that before his resignation from the ministry, he had overseen the republication of the works of famed Abbasid poet Abu Nawas. Produced in four volumes, two volumes have already been released, and the next two were scheduled for imminent distribution. But Al Ghitani accused the Ministry of Culture of seizing the remaining two volumes and burning the copies. Mohammed Ghunaym, the new head of the culture palaces authority, denied that the book was burned and said that it would be released at this year’s book fair. He added that the ministry was simply reviewing the collection, to which Al Ghitani replied in print: "We’ve gotten to the point that Abu Nawas is being reassessed in Egypt." The poet’s works were first published in Egypt in 1958 under the auspices of a committee that included Ahmed Amin, Taha Hussein and Zaki Naguib Mahmoud and other luminaries of Egyptian culture.

Observers are now waiting for the annual book fair, scheduled to open on 24 January, to see if the volumes appear, but whether they do or not, this year’s book fair–consistently one of the biggest cultural events of the year–will undoubtedly be different than those in the past. Several intellectuals have already announced their intention to boycott all activities linked to the fair or sponsored by the Supreme Council of Culture. In an statement issued on 8 January and entitled "Intellectuals against Repression and Confiscation" a group of thinkers and intellectuals–including Ossama Anwar Okasha, Abla Al Ruweini, and Al Ghitani–indicted "the repressive behavior against freedom of expression," rejecting "all the tyrannical measures and intellectual torture which Minister Hosni has perpetrated on cultural life."

While culture officials were resigning and communiques being issued, Farouq Hosni stoked the flames of intellectual ire, appearing on Egyptian television to defend his position and warning of "a conspiracy to destroy Egyptian culture." "I’m responsible for granting the freedom to create," said Hosni on Masa’ Al Kheir. "Sometimes creativity surpasses all limits, so who’s supposed to guard the people? There are agreed upon limits of freedom, and the artist must abide by the limits of society." The minister didn’t mince words concerning those who had decided to boycott the book fair and prefer to "cut off their noses to spite themselves." "They need the ministry," Hosni said on Bidun Riqaba. "The ministry doesn’t need them." And in a tone remniscent of Marie Antoinette, he declared that those who wanted to liberate themselves from the traditions and morals of society were free to leave the country. "There are many Arab authors and writers living abroad–let them write whatever they please." Although he did defend Abu Shadi as a friend whom he was "forced" to remove from his position, only two days later he removed Abu Shadi as the head of the National Film Festival as well, which he has presided over for the last four years.

The minister’s remarks did not win him any friends among intellectuals, and indeed led to further resignations, as noted novelists Selwa Bakr, Sa’id Al Kafrawi and Ibrahim Abdel Maguid resigned from positions at the Supreme Council of Culture and issued a public statement attacking Hosni’s portrayal of his professional mission. "The ideas that the honorable minister expresses in his numerous appearances on television and his statements to the press can only be considered an attack on freedom of expression," the statement read, "and transforming the role of a cultural institution from one that facilitiates literature and art to one that has a supervisory role and determines what artists are and are not to do." The anti-ministry press chimed in with headlines such as "We need to protect culture from the Minister of Culture," which appeared in the 14 January issue of Akhbar Al Adab, headed by Gamal Al Ghitani.

The fate of the request for clarification that MP Heshmat submitted is still unknown, but it looks like the Brothers are attempting to use their victory by encouraging the culture ministry to adopt a new publication policy in the future. "The three novels were not the first offense," Heshmat told the Cairo Times. "We don’t want a verbal promise, but a real change in the policy of the Ministry of Culture so that we can guarantee that the same thing won’t happen again." Following Heshmat’s request, Hosni responded by sending a letter to the People’s Assembly thanking the MP for drawing his attention to the excesses committed by the General Authority. Heshmet is still considering whether to withdraw the request for clarification or not.

Aside from the book fair, the current face-off between pro- and anti-ministry intellectuals may affect the conference of intellectuals, a culture ministry project that is scheduled for June and whose proclaimed goal is "including intellectuals in outlining cultural policy." The tension has already impacted the conference’s preparatory committee, which last week issued a statement reaffirming its belief in free expression that does not infringe on society’s values. The statement also called for unity among intellectuals for the sake of "reviving cultural life"–a plea that seems to be falling on deaf ears as both sides engage in mud-slinging.

Photograph from Sawt Al Umma