title: Mekkawi Said
text: # Mekkawi Said
  
  Mekkawi Said (Arabic: مكاوي سعيد; 6 July 1956 – 2 December 2017) was an Egyptian novelist and short story writer.
  
  ## Early life
  
  He studied at Cairo University. He worked as a scriptwriter and publisher, operating the Al-Dar publishing house in Cairo.
  
  ## Career
  
  Said published his first book, a collection of short stories, in 1981. Since then, he has published several more short story collections and two novels. His second novel Cairo Swan Song was a bestseller and was nominated for the inaugural Arabic Booker Prize in 2008. The novel has also been translated into English by Adam Talib and published by the AUC Press.
  
  ## Awards and honors
  
  Said was a recipient of the Egyptian State Prize for Literature.
  
  