These were spurred on by students returning home from studying in European countries. El-nour states that a novel by the title of "Al-Faragh al-'arid" (The vast emptiness or The wide hollowness) was the first "true example" of this type. Published in 1970, after the death of its author Malkat Ed-Dar Mohamed, the work caused quite a stir by being both published by a woman and dealing with realist themes.