The first Diwan bookshop opened in Cairo 2002, with further branches and other activities added over the years, the most recent of which was Diwan Publishing in 2021. We talked to Layal Al-Rusom and Ahmed Al-Qarmalawi, two of the four founders of Diwan Publishing in Cairo, about their expanding business.

The company has survived some tumultuous times. What does the portfolio look like now?

At Diwan’s inception, the concept of a bookstore was simply a place where people went to purchase books they were looking for. We broadened this idea with the slogan “more than a bookstore,” and began asking ourselves: What role does a bookstore play in society? What does it offer, and how can it continue to inspire, attract, and serve its customers?

As Nadia Wassef says in Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller, her memoir about Diwan, bookstores are public spaces where personal quests unfold; it is where we go to escape the world or engage more fully with it. The founding partners consciously created Diwan as a living brand in constant dialogue with its clients. We continue to strive for a space where people would happily spend their time browsing, exploring, and interacting with authors and practitioners in the arts, writing, wellbeing, while constantly reaffirming the centrality of the customer. Diwan is also a place where people can simply gather, have a snack, and enjoy a drink. Ultimately, we aim to bring the spirit of Diwan to as many customers as possible.

At present the portfolio includes, but is not limited to, the Diwan Bookstore chain (12 stores of varying sizes), Diwan Publishing, which invigorated the region’s cultural scene, our Diwan signature café and lifestyle boutique… and we are far from done!

Can you tell us a little about your new publishing initiative?

Diwan Publishing launched three years ago and has already published five legendary authors (including Egypt’s Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz, Taha Hussein, and Mustafa Mahmoud). We have published fifty modern authors, ten authors in English, and have supported forty visual artists and creators. Diwan Publishing also curates cultural festivals and the Naguib Mahfouz Project. Lately, we have embarked on a new path: adapting classical works from the Egyptian literary canon into graphic novels and comic books.

What are you hoping to achieve? What challenges and opportunities do you see?

Our goal is to integrate art, heritage and literature, creating an inspiring book experience that allows artists across different fields to contemplate, interpret, and express themselves. We particularly aim to reach young readers by introducing classical figures and literatures in a fresh, modern, and engaging way. Our focus is on delivering books in their best form: content-wise and visually. For example, in our edition of Naguib Mahfouz’s works, we reviewed all previous editions to ensure our version’s accuracy, while restoring Mahfouz’s original text before any censorship or technical errors altered it during the previous century. We have designed new book covers that are edgy and contemporary, while cognisant of their rich past.

Additionally, we’re expanding into the digital world through audiobooks, ebooks, and graphic novels, aiming to distribute globally in efficient and effective ways. We also plan to introduce collectors’ editions that showcase our unique cultural heritage. Attending book fairs all over the region, such as the Sharjah International Book Fair, is vital and engenders an exchange of ideas and experiences with other publishers and readers.

The main challenges we face continue to be the prevalence of piracy in what is a very price-sensitive market and rising costs in the production of paper books. The two issues do overlap, and we need constant cooperation across the entire publishing sector to better address this.

Distribution of all our printed titles, even the English language ones, to markets outside of the region is challenging, though international book fairs are helping. We are partnering with electronic platforms to employ a print on demand service, as well as collaborating with international publishers to produce a local edition for their market, ensuring distribution of a copyrighted edition.