Walid Taher

Walid Taher (Arabic : وليد طاهر) is an Egyptian author, designer of children's books, plastic artist, and journalist painter. He was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1969. More than 40 children books were published by Taher including: ‘The Black Spot’ which has won the Etisalat Award in its second edition. His book ‘Seven Souls’ was longlisted for Sheikh Zayed Award – Children and Young People's Literature Section in 2012. ‘The Island of Sailor Barakat’, additionally, was nominated for the Etisalat Award- Best Direction Section in 2019.

Walid Taher
Born1969
Cairo, Egypt
NationalityEgyptian
OccupationAuthor, designer of children's books, journalist painter, plastic artist
Awards
  • Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature for 'The Black Spot' in 2010
  • The Annual Arabic Children’s Book Award, Read Here, There and Everywhere, from the Anna Lindh Foundation for ‘Animals’ Dreams’ in 2011


Biography

Walid Taher is an Egyptian author who writes and designs children books. He, as well, works as a plastic artist and journalist painter. Taher was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1969. In his early life, he grew up in Ad Doqi, but then her moved to Maadi. Taher graduated from faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Décor.[1] His career started in early 90s,[2] as he worked, before his graduation, in Sabah Al Khair Magazine.[1] He, furthermore, worked in several well-known newspapers and organizations including Al-Dostor Newspaper, Nahdet Misr Newspaper, UNICEF, and WHO.[3] Yet, Taher is currently working as a journalist painter in Shorouk News and artistic director in Dar Al Shorouk.[4]

Taher kicked off his career in the field of children's literature in 2001, when Dar Al Shorouk published his first book ‘My New Friend’.[3] The book, as well, has got the second place in The Egyptian Board on Books for Young People Competition for Professionals.[4] Taher, so far has more than 40 books for children,[1] many of which are award-winning including ‘Black Spot’ which won the Etisalat Award in 2010[5] and ‘Animals’ Dreams’  that won The Annual Arabic Children's Book Award, Read Here, There and Everywhere, from the Anna Lindh Foundation in 2011.[6]

Taher's career in children's literature field is not limited to writing stories only, but he also illustrates children books; for example: ‘The Watermelon’ written by Taghreed Najjar. In 1999, Taher got the first place in The Egyptian Board on Books for Young People Competition for Professionals for illustrating ‘The Watermelon’.[4]

Currently, Taher is working in a project with ‘Le Port a Jauni’, a French publishing house. The project aims to publish bilingual children book series, in order to break cultural barriers between children of Arabic and French culture.[1] With ‘Le Port a Jauni’ Taher has published several books including ‘A country: Voyage without Baggage’, ‘The Dancers’, and ‘My Crazy Ideas’.

Taher believes that children have their own and  unique experience, gained from interaction with the surrounding environment; hence, this is why Taher's books focuses on the question rather than on the answer. He, Taher assumes that it is an unfortunate step for the author of children's stories to pretend that he knows everything and provide children with lessons in such a silly and traditional way. It became a must for the writer  to involve the child in the story and make him interact with the events, characters, or drawings. This involvement, in his point of view, requires paying attention to both the scenario and the illustration of the book.[2][7]

Taher has six art galleries, four of them were held in Egypt and two in France.[8] His last gallery "I Have Been Here Before" was held in Egypt in 2020.[4]

He, additionally, has conducted many workshops for children in different parts of the world, such as Paris, Marseille, Cairo, Dubai, Munich.[9]

Works

Taher has more than 40 books for children for instance:

  • My New Pal (Original title: Sahibi El Jadid), 2001 (ISBN: 9770907308)
  • Fizo Is Happy Now (Original title: Fizo Asbaha Saidan), 2003 (ISBN:  13 9789770925096)
  • The Morons (Original title: Al-Aghbiyaa), 2007
  • The Black Spot (Original title: Al-Noqta Al-Soda), 2009 (ISBN: 13 9789770926115)
  • My Beautiful Letters (Original title: Horoufy Al-Gamila), 2010
  • Animals’ Dreams (Original title: Ahlam Al-Hayawanat), 2010

Awards

Some of Taher's awards include:

2001: Egyptian Board on Books for Young People Competition for Professionals (second place) for ‘My New Pal’.

2010: Etisalat Award for ‘The Black Spot’.

2011: The Annual Arabic Children's Book Award, Read Here, There and Everywhere, from the Anna Lindh Foundation for ‘Animals’ Dreams’

Nominations
  • ‘Seven Souls’ was longlisted for Sheikh Zayed Award – Children and Young People's Literature and Translation Section (2012).[10]
  • ‘The Island of Sailor Barakat’ was nominated for the Etisalat Award- Best Direction Section (2019).[11]

References
  1. عزيز, شيماء (August 2017). "في محترف وليد طاهر بين رمزية اللوحات الكبيرة والرسم للأطفال". Qafilah Magazine. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  2. الموسى, نوف (6 March 2018). "وليد طاهر: لا أستهين بذكاء الأطفال عبر كتبي". Alittihad Newspaper. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  3. سمير, ناهد (8 February 2018). "وليد طاهر: إنتاج كتب للأطفال مشروع اقتصادي فاشل". Dostor Newspaper.
  4. عزازي, صلاح (28 September 2020). ""كنت هنا من قبل".. خيالات وليد طاهر الساطعة بين الزمان والمكان". Shorouknews. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  5. "قراءة "النقطة السوداء" في المجلس الإماراتي لكتب اليافعين". Al Bayan Newspaper. 18 September 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  6. الحمامصي, محمد (22 January 2011). "الإعلان عن الفائزين بجائزة "آنا ليند" لأدب الأطفال". Al Bayan Newspaper. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  7. "الكاتب والرسام وليد طاهر يقرأ "النقطة السوداء" في الشارقة". Alittihad Newspaper. 18 September 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  8. الساكت, علا (23 September 2020). "وليد طاهر.. الهروب من هموم الصحافة لحرية الإبداع التشكيلي". Asharq News. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  9. Motawy, Yasmine (23 January 2020). "Picture Book Author Walid Taher: 'When I Write, I Consider Everyone a Child'". ArabKidLit!. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  10. "أربعة كتاب مصريين يتصدرون القائمة الطويلة لجائزة الشيخ زايد لأدب الطفل". Gate Ahram Newspaper. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  11. "سلطان: ندعم الناشرين وكتابنا للنهوض بالثقافة". Alkhaleej Newspaper. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
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