This volume sets El Saadawi’s literary work within the context of her activism, in particular showing how her ideas for the renewal of society run through her writing. As a companion for reading her fiction and nonfiction, this volume contextualizes her work by taking into consideration the complexities of Egyptian society today – in particular, Islamic fundamentalism and women’s status. It also introduces the current scholarly debate on ancient women’s status. Chapters on individual novels look both at technique (oral literary traditions, woman’s narrative, imagery) and topic (female circumcision, gender roles, prostitution, honor killing). Novels examined are Two Women in One: The Circling Song: Woman at Point Zero: God Dies By the Nile.