Current professional background
I currently work as a lecturer of German Studies and German as a foreign language at Minia University in Egypt. For my six-month research visit to the University of Siegen, I received a scholarship from the Katholischen Akademischen Ausländerdienst (KAAD) – Catholic Academic Exchange Service.
Field of research
Post-war German Literature, German as a second and foreign language, Intercultural literary studies – comparative, study of Arabic and German Literature.
Purpose of your last research visit
I received my PhD under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Käuser at the University of Siegen in German Studies – New German Literature. These studies were also supported by a scholarship from the KAAD.
Relation to the University of Siegen and the local host
Thanks to my previous positive experiences, I decided to come back to Siegen once again for my current research project. I worked on my research here in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Barz.
Future projects and Activities
This project was about ”Erich Kästner as a playwright.” The interesting thing is, that Erich Kästner is known as a poet and as an author of children’s literature, not as a playwright. I would like to thoroughly examine three different areas of Erich Kästner’s theatre work: his critiques, his cabaret, and finally his plays. This varied literary examination of the theatre shows the relevance of the theatre in Kästner’s life and, also emphasises the various possibilities of writing for theatre.
Impressions of Siegen
Siegen is a beautiful and green city, which is ideal for study and research. As a doctoral student I was fortunate enough to benefit from a lot of support from my faculty, and I also came to appreciate the excellent facilities of the university library. Siegen is also a changing city, there have been many new developments since I went back to Egypt. Throughout my doctoral studies I have gotten to know many kind people and have made many lifelong friends.